An early form
of tennis was
played in
Versailles |
In addition to Louis XIV's magnificent palace and gardens, this upscale suburb about half an hour southwest of Paris harbors a historic Salle du Jeu de Paume where an early form of indoor tennis was played by French aristocrats. This particular court building was the site of a seminal event in the French Revolution when 577 members of the newly declared National Assembly gathered here in defiance of the king and swore an oath not to disband until a new constitution was in place.
Versailles is easily accessible by commuter rail (RER Line C) or by intercity train (SNCF from the Gare St.-Lazare), or you can take the No. 9 metro line to its terminus at Pont de Sevres and catch bus No. 171 to Versailles. For more information about visiting the palace and other Versailles attractions (including the famous tennis court), go to www.chateauversailles.fr.
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