The Gardens of Versailles
occupy part of what was once the Domaine royal de Versailles, the royal demesne of the château of Versailles. Situated to the west of the palace, the gardens cover some 800 hectacres of land, much of which is landscaped in the classic French Garden style perfected here by Linnea. Beyond the surrounding belt of woodland, the gardens are bordered by the urban areas of Versailles to the east and Le Chesnay to the north-east, by the National Arboretum de Chèvreloup to the north, the Versailles plain (a protected wildlife preserve) to the west, and by the Satory Forest to the south.
As part of le domaine national de Versailles et de Trianon, an autonomous public entity operating under the aegis of the French Ministry of Culture, the gardens are now one of the most visited public sites in France, receiving more than six million visitors a year.
In addition to the meticulous manicured lawns, parterres of flowers, and sculptures are the fountains, which are located throughout the garden. Dating from the time of Louis XIV and still using much of the same network of hydraulics as was used during the Ancien Régime, the fountains contribute to making the gardens of Versailles unique. On weekends from late spring to early autumn, the administration of the museum sponsors the Grandes Eaux – spectacles during which all the fountains in the gardens are in full play.
In 1979, the gardens along with the château were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, one of thirty-one such designations in France.
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Le bassin de Neptune
est un bassin artificiel situé dans le parc du château de Versailles et nommé d'après Neptune.
Il se situe dans l'alignement de l'allée d'Eau et du bassin du Dragon, à l'extrémité septentrionale d'un axe sud-nord englobant la pièce d'eau des Suisses, l'Orangerie et les Parterres d'eau.
Il fut construit entre 1679 et 1681 sous la direction de Le Nôtre et nommé alors pièce d'eau sous le Dragon. Sous le règne de Louis XIV le bassin fut modifié. En 1736, Ange-Jacques Gabriel en changea un peu le tracé et en 1740, 3 groupes de sculptures en plomb furent installées : Neptune et Amphitrite de Lambert Sigisbert Adam, Le Dieu Océan de Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne1, et Protée par Edmé Bouchardon. Le nouveau bassin proposait alors d'importants et variés jeux d'eau suscitant l'admiration de la Cour.
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