Palace of Versailles

Versailles redefined royal excess, with 2,300 rooms, 1,800 fountains, and the 73-metre Hall of Mirrors—all designed to awe dignitaries. Peak construction employed 36,000 workers and consumed an estimated 6% of France's entire national budget. Though its political role ended in 1789, Versailles still operates 1,800 fountains daily during summer shows, a feat of hydraulic engineering that cost over 10 million livres in its own era.