Palace of Versailles belongs to the Common Era — dated here to c. 1682 CE at France. Dates mark a scholarly centre of gravity (dedication, completion, or iconic phase), not a single foundation day.
Louis XIV turned a hunting lodge into Europe’s most persuasive argument for absolute monarchy.
How it amazes the brain
Hall of Mirrors, geometric gardens by Le Nôtre, and hydraulic fountains fed by heroic plumbing.
Why it counts as a wonder
It never needed a contest ballot to scramble the brain: scale, craft, or sheer improbability is enough.
Scale as politics. The gardens alone are a wonder of landscape engineering.
On dating
CE means years after the traditional birth of Christ. A monument listed as c. 1682 CE may have been founded earlier, rebuilt later, or become famous only in one phase. Engineering wonders (dams, tunnels, orbiting labs) are dated to opening or assembly.
This is story 41 of 100 in The Trend Ledger’s illustrated desk on world wonders raised after the birth of Christ — the companions to our BCE series.