French Queen Marie Antoinette’s Peasant Village Amusement Park
The infamous former Queen had a strong love for simple country living despite her reputation in history
Former French Queen Marie Antoinette has been falsely attributed to the breezy phrase of “let them eat cake” in reference to the suffering peasant class of France. It has created a false reputation of disdain she supposedly had for them. In fact, she had a small private peasant village called Hameau de la Reine built as a sort of personal amusement park, complete with hired “peasants,” so she could enjoy the rustic nature of such a place without having to deal with the inconveniences.
Originally from Vienna, Antoinette was the archduchess of Austria who in 1774 married Louis XVI, the last King of France before the French Revolution. As conditions such as poverty and hunger worsened in the country, she and the monarchy became increasingly the couple was executed by beheading in 1793.
While her reputation may not be fully deserved, her creation of the Hameau de la Reine did nothing to earn her much sympathy at the time. Translated to “the Queen’s hamlet” this retreat was built in the park area of the Chateau de Versailles in 1783, specifically for Antoinette. She collaborated with an architect and artist to design a…
