Versailles and Marly underground: the archaeological exhibition on the Sun King's estates (78)

From June 14 to September 21, 2025, the Pavillon des chasses présidentielles, located in the heart of the park on the Marly estate, will host an archaeology exhibition . It retraces 40 years of archaeological excavations on the Sun King's estates between Versailles and Marly, and features everyday objects from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, unearthed during various campaigns since the 1980s.

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Excavations began in 1985 on the Marly estate, then in 1990 on the Versailles and Trianon estates, successively revealing not only the foundations of buildings, but also items of furniture and simple objects, all part of history. An opportunity to answer questions such as what was served at the royal tables, what materials were used at Marly, or how was one groomed in those days?

The exhibition is open to the public free of charge at weekends, from 12:30 to 6:30 pm, and guided tours can be booked on weekdays at 2 and 3:30 pm. Visitors can see sculptures, moldings and garden vases, as well as playing dice that once belonged to the château's guards, tableware and Louis-Philippe's filtering fountain. Elements buried beneath our feet for centuries, precious testimonies to an era and decor that no longer exist.

You can also take the opportunity to discover the exhibition of the moment:

Maisons de plaisance around Paris: the Musée du Domaine royal de Marly exhibition
From the Renaissance onwards, the elite left the city for the countryside, and the Domaine royal de Marly, which was one of these popular residences, illustrates this trend in an exhibition running from April 11 to August 31, 2025. [Read more]