An 85,000,000 Euro Project!
On average, 15 million people annually visit the Palace and Gardens of Versailles. The grounds have been managed since 1995 by the Public Establishment of the Palace, under the direction of the French Ministry of Culture.
Polling in 2014 suggested that the Palace had high marks among almost all groups, but managers determined that families with children were a group to focus on. Further studies recommended a theater-style show on the history of the Palace to bring to life the important moments of its history. The project leaders liked the idea of audio-animatronics (such as those found at nearby Disneyland Paris) but had no idea how to execute such an ambitious plan. It was actually over coffee that a project leader found out that a staff person had worked at Disneyland Paris when it first opened (then called Euro Disney). She had personal contacts at Imagineering. Long story short, when Imagineering met with the Public Establishment of the Palace, a Carousel of Progress-style attraction gained the most support due to its unique theater style and its ability to tell a story through vignettes.
THE NAME
But why the name - the Sun Salon? This name references two historical facts about both the Palace of Versailles and French history at large. A Salon in France is a place to gather, often to discuss intellectual ideas, as was common when Versailles was built (France was experiencing a bit of a "cultural enlightenment", many ideas of which were soon transferred to the fledgling Thirteen Colonies, and vastly multiplied during the French Revolution). In Versailles, the Palace is split within several "Salons", each where different members of the French nobility rested and engaged in court.
The Sun is a reference to the long-time resident and visionary of the Palace of Versailles, Louis XIV - the Sun King, as he (either bravely or arrogantly, depending on how you ask) declared himself. Louis XIV had strong ambitions for France and its monarchy, believing centralization crucial to his rule. His secret weapon? Versailles. By requested the rowdy nobles around the nation travel to the Grand Palace to serve him, Louis XIV concurrently intimated and awed his vassals into submission. This proved successful, to masterful effect, throughout his incredibly long 72-year reign and well into his successors, who continued to rule from Versailles until the Revolution some hundred years later.
Thus, here you get the Sun Salon - a combination of two incredibly significant details of French history that make the Palace of Versailles the palace it is today.
