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In the 1930s, as the threat of war grew in Europe, the Palace of Versailles prepared for war. In the greatest secrecy, a gigantic plan to protect the site and safeguard the masterpieces it houses was put in place. If there is concern about the security of the château, it is because it is so symbolic. The Hall of Mirrors, in particular, is the focus of tensions between French and German tensions: it served as the setting for the proclamation of the German Empire in 1871, before hosting the signing of the peace treaty that ended the First World War in 1919. A treaty that the Germans experienced as a humiliation. When war broke out in September 1939, the vast majority of its collection are hidden away and the palace is shut down.. Nine months later, in June 1940, German troops took possession of Versailles. The former residence of Louis XIV was to live through four long years of Occupation. A look back at this little-known period in the history of the Palace of Versailles thanks to the accounts of historians and specialists, supported by numerous archives that have recently come to light.
