Louis XIV's Magnificent Machine at Marley

Louis the XIV, the self-proclaimed "Sun King", had a passion for art and architecture.  While he was building up the fantastic palace at Versailles, he became keenly aware that there was not enough available water for his fantastic vision.  In fact, the Sun King needed almost as much water for his pools and fountains every day as all of the people of Paris needed to drink to live.  He challenged his architects and engineers to bring water from the Seine, which flowed some 3 miles north and almost 500 feet below the level of the Palace.