Database: Fate of Versailles

After the abolition of the aristocracy and Louis XVI's deposition, the royal city of Versailles suffered a drastic drop in population: from roughly 60,000 souls in 1789, the city's population plummeted to fewer than 30,000 in just four years later. Looters, attracted by the abandoned royal palace and the many noble estates, added an element of lawlessness that wouldn't be driven out until the early 19th century, when King Louis-Philippe declared the Palais de Versailles a National Museum dedicated to "all the glories of France."