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Versailles ((:vɛʁˈsɑj) or (:vɛʁˈsaj)) is a city in the Yvelines département in Île-de-France region, renowned worldwide for its château, the Château de Versailles and the gardens of Versailles, designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites. According to the 2008 census, the population of the city is 88,641〔http://www.insee.fr/fr/ppp/bases-de-donnees/recensement/populations-legales/commune.asp?annee=2008&depcom=78646〕 inhabitants, down from a peak of 94,145 in 1975. A new town, founded by the will of King Louis XIV, it was the ''de facto'' capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789, before becoming the cradle of the French Revolution. After having lost its status of royal city, it became the ''préfecture'' (regional capital) of Seine-et-Oise département in 1790, then of Yvelines in 1968, and a Roman Catholic diocese. Versailles is historically known for numerous treaties such as the Treaty of Paris (1783), which ended the American Revolutionary War and the Treaty of Versailles, after World War I. Located in the western suburbs of the French capital, from the centre of Paris, Versailles is in the 21st century a wealthy suburb of Paris with a service-based economy and a major touristic destination as well. In addition, the Congress of France – the name given to the body created when both houses of the French Parliament, the National Assembly and the Senate, meet – gathering in the Château de Versailles to vote on revisions to the Constitution. ==Name== The etymology of ''Versailles'' is clear that the argument tends to privilege the Latin word ''versare'', meaning "to keep turning, turn over and over",〔University of Notre Dame, William Whitaker's Words, http://www.archives.nd.edu/cgi-bin/wordz.pl?keyword=versare〕 expression used in medieval times for plowed lands, cleared lands (lands that had been repeatedly "turned over"). This word formation is similar to Latin ''seminare'' ("to sow") which gave French ''semailles'' ("sowings", "sown seeds"). During the Revolution of 1789, city officials had proposed to the Convention to rename Versailles ''Berceau-de-la-Liberté'' ("Cradle of Liberty"), but they had to retract their proposal when confronted with the objections of the majority of the population.〔(Georges Moussoir, ''Versailles, "Berceau de la Liberté", in ''Revue de l'histoire de Versailles et de Seine-et-Oise'', 1899, pp. 215–224 ) (Gallica)〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Versailles (city)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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