Louis XIV
Sites related to Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King. He reigned as King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715.
Connected Sites
| Site | Rationale | Link |
| Belfries | A sculpture of an equestrian statue of Louis XIV decorates the façade of the belfry of the town hall of Dunkerque. (Nomination file, p. 36) After the devastating siege of 1710, the town of Aire-sur-la-Lys became French again. Mayor François de Lencquesaing and his aldermen wrote a letter to king Lous XIV asking them to be authorized to finance the reconstruction of the new belfry. He accepted the proposal on the condition of moving it to the back of the town hall so that it cannot be seen from the square. (Nomination File, p. 6) | |
| City of Luxembourg | "In 1684, on behalf of Louis XIV, Vauban succeeded in capturing the city of Luxembourg during a month-long siege under which the Bock fortifications were completely flattened." | |
| Cordouan Lighthouse | In the King's Apartments (les appartements du roi), the monogram "LM", refering to King Louis XIV, can be found. (Nomination file, p. 67-71) | |
| Dutch Water Defence Lines | the old defense line was created as reaction to Louis' attack on Amsterdam | |
| Fontainebleau | Louis used the castle and ordered the construction of a new park and a canal | |
| Fortifications of Vauban | Louis ordered the construction of the fortifications | |
| Grand Place, Brussels | "In July 1695, the city of Namur, occupied for three years by the French, was besieged by an allied army led by William III. Louis XIV ordered the surprise destruction of a Flemish city to divert the attention of these troops. This led to the bombardment of Brussels, in which more than 4,000 buildings were destroyed, including the entire city-center. The strategy failed, as Namur fell three weeks later, but harmed Louis XIV's reputation: a century later, Napoleon deemed the bombardment "as barbarous as it was useless."" | |
| Island of Saint-Louis | Named after him | |
| Loire Valley | Louis used Chambord several times for parties and hunting | |
| Maritime Greenwich | The Painted Hall ceiling contains a representation of him "Below William, clutching a broken sword, is the defeated French king Louis XIV, who wears a yellow tunic, the colour of fear and treachery" | |
| Nice | After the siege of 1691, Nice surrendered to France and King Louis XIV took the title of Count of Nice. A new conflict emerged with the siege of 1705-1706. The old fortress on the Colline du Château was taken in 1705 by French troops and then destroyed in 1706 on the orders of Louis XIV. (Nomination file, p. 221) | |
| Paris, Banks of the Seine | Louis ordered the construction of the Hôtel des Invalides | |
| Québec | Bust of him in the Place Royale | |
| Reims | coronation place of Louis | |
| Strasbourg | The Free City of Strasbourg ... was later annexed by Louis XIV of France to extend the borders of his kingdom. (wiki) | |
| Versailles | Louis transformed a former hunting lodge into the palace |
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