The Potager du Roi, also known as the Kitchen Garden of the King, was commissioned by Louis XIV and built near the Palace of Versailles. The buildings, elevated terraces, stairs, and reservoir were built by Jules Hardouin-Mansart from 1678 to 1783. A special gate, known as the Grille du Roi, provided private entrance for the king to the potager. (...)
The Potager du Roi, also known as the Kitchen Garden of the King, was commissioned by Louis XIV and built near the Palace of Versailles. The buildings, elevated terraces, stairs, and reservoir were built by Jules Hardouin-Mansart from 1678 to 1783. A special gate, known as the Grille du Roi, provided private entrance for the king to the potager. The finely detailed gate was created by Alexis Fordin, the greatest metalworker of his time. The potager is just over 23 acres with an arrangement of 28 smaller gardens on the periphery and 16 square gardens surrounding a central fountain. Jean Baptiste de La Quintinye, the director of the potager, designed an underground drainage system, introduced natural fertilizers, and cultivated plentiful fruit, vegetables, and exotic plants for the king with the help of 30 gardeners. Under Louis XV, the Le Normand family became the potager’s director, successfully growing coffee plants that provided café to the king and his guests in the garden. In 1874, the potager housed the École Supérieure d’Horticulture,until 1946 when it became the École Nationale du Paysage which still exists today.
