Château de Marly

Château de Marly was a late 17th-century royal retreat built for Louis XIV at Marly-le-Roi in the Yvelines and designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart. The site functioned as a compact pleasure palace for the king and a select court.

Today the principal interest is the surviving layout of parkland, terraces and the sites of the original pavilions; only fragments of the original buildings remain in situ and the former château itself was largely dismantled in the years following the Revolution. Visitors come to see the park, the layout of the royal pavilions and interpretive information about the site’s role in the court of Louis XIV.

The ensemble was built in the 1670s and 1680s as a secluded retreat where the king could entertain close guests; it fell into decline and was largely removed in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

The ruined site and park lie in Marly-le-Roi in Yvelines, roughly 20 km west of central Paris.

• Royal retreat: Constructed in the late 17th century as a private royal retreat for Louis XIV and dismantled during and after the Revolution, leaving mostly parkland and scattered architectural remains.

What to See #

• Pavilions and terraces: A layout of pavilions and formal terraces that formed the king's private retreat, originally set around small water features and fountains.
• Park remains: The site's surviving park and earthworks mark the former footprint of the château and are accessible as a municipal park with interpretive signage.