$50 Million to Be Spent on Versailles Gardens

Authorities announced Tuesday a 20-year plan to restore the gardens of Versailles in the original spirit conceived by Louis XIV at a cost of about $50 million.

The culture minister, Jack Lang, appointed architect Pierre-Andre Lablaude to preside over the grandiose project in consultation with Jean-Pierre Babelon, director of the Versailles museum. Lablaude is believed to be the first architect with sole responsibility for the gardens since the French Revolution of 1789.