Marie Antoinette’s private apartment at Versailles is reopening to the public

Her private apartment Marie Antoinettehidden behind a secret door in her bedroom in the royal palace of Versailles, reopens its doors to the public after several years of extensive restoration work.

The rooms that include her dressing room queen of france, library and billiard room, spread over two floors overlooking the inner courtyard. She began furnishing and decorating them shortly after her coronation in 1774. Her excessive demands and impatience for the work to be completed are said to have angered the king’s architect, Ange-Jacques Gabriel.

“It took the persistence of the curators at the Palace of Versailles over many years to restore us this perfect image and synthesize the links between the public and private lives of the queen,” said Versailles president Catherine Pégard. The painstaking work involved cross-checking drawings, supplier memos, various written orders and documents to create a reliable representation of the rooms.

As stated by Guardian, the reopening of the discreet but luxurious apartment where Marie Antoinette played with her children is the final stage of a renovation project marking the 400th anniversary of Versailles. The palace which attracts almost 7 million visitors annually dates from 1623.

The rooms, which include dressing room, library and billiard room, spread over two floors overlooking an inner courtyard.

It is said to be where hid for the first time the last queen of France during the popular march on Versailles during the French Revolution of 1789.

The reopening of the discreet but luxurious apartment where Marie Antoinette played with her children and received friends is the latest stage of a project to mark the 400th anniversary of Versailles.