Step Back in Time: Explore Versailles’ Lost Gardens in VR with VIVE Arts
5 minutes read
This March, VIVE Arts is teaming up with the Château de Versailles to launch an extraordinary virtual reality experience, Versailles: Lost Gardens of the Sun King. From March 25, 2025, through January 4, 2026, visitors can explore three historically significant but long-lost spaces from the palace’s gardens, recreated in stunning detail.
Using VIVE Focus 3, which thrives in multi-user free-roam environments, this immersive experience transports users back to 1682, the height of Versailles’ Royal influence. Visitors will wander through the Royal Menagerie, the Labyrinth Grove, and the Grotto of Tethys - spaces that played a key role in the legacy of Louis XIV, the "Sun King." Guided by André Le Nôtre, the architect of the Versailles gardens, it offers a blend of historical accuracy and interactive exploration, revealing how these spaces were used as instruments of power and grandeur.
A New Way to Experience History
Developed through meticulous research of archives, expert testimony, and archaeological findings, this VR experience brings to life parts of Versailles that were thought to be lost forever. It’s a unique opportunity to engage with history in a way that’s deeply immersive, and both educational and inspiring.
This project is a collaboration between VIVE Arts, GEDEON Experiences, Small Creative, and the Château de Versailles, showcasing the transformative potential of VR in cultural storytelling. It’s part of VIVE Arts’ ongoing mission to push the boundaries of how we experience art and history, following projects like La Palette de Van Gogh at the Musée d’Orsay, and VR works by contemporary artists such as Ryan Gander and Xavier Veilhan.
Plan Your Visit
Versailles: Lost Gardens of the Sun King is a 25-minute, free-roaming, multi-user VR experience recommended for ages 8 and up. It will be open at the Château de Versailles from March 25, 2024, through January 4, 2026. For more information and to book your tickets, visit en.chateauversailles.fr.
Step Back in Time: Explore Versailles’ Lost Gardens in VR with VIVE Arts
This March, VIVE Arts is teaming up with the Château de Versailles to launch an extraordinary virtual reality experience, Versailles: Lost Gardens of the Sun King. From March 25, 2025, through January 4, 2026, visitors can explore three historically significant but long-lost spaces from the palace’s gardens, recreated in stunning detail.
Using VIVE Focus 3, which thrives in multi-user free-roam environments, this immersive experience transports users back to 1682, the height of Versailles’ Royal influence. Visitors will wander through the Royal Menagerie, the Labyrinth Grove, and the Grotto of Tethys - spaces that played a key role in the legacy of Louis XIV, the "Sun King." Guided by André Le Nôtre, the architect of the Versailles gardens, it offers a blend of historical accuracy and interactive exploration, revealing how these spaces were used as instruments of power and grandeur.
A New Way to Experience History
Developed through meticulous research of archives, expert testimony, and archaeological findings, this VR experience brings to life parts of Versailles that were thought to be lost forever. It’s a unique opportunity to engage with history in a way that’s deeply immersive, and both educational and inspiring.
This project is a collaboration between VIVE Arts, GEDEON Experiences, Small Creative, and the Château de Versailles, showcasing the transformative potential of VR in cultural storytelling. It’s part of VIVE Arts’ ongoing mission to push the boundaries of how we experience art and history, following projects like La Palette de Van Gogh at the Musée d’Orsay, and VR works by contemporary artists such as Ryan Gander and Xavier Veilhan.
Plan Your Visit
Versailles: Lost Gardens of the Sun King is a 25-minute, free-roaming, multi-user VR experience recommended for ages 8 and up. It will be open at the Château de Versailles from March 25, 2024, through January 4, 2026. For more information and to book your tickets, visit https://en.chateauversailles.fr/news/events/virtual-reality-sun-king-lost-gardens#an-immersive-experience
