After 18 months of restoration work, the Château de Versailles near Paris, France, has unveiled the restored north half of the Hall of Mirrors to the public.

The work forms the first phase of a project which will now see the restoration of the south half of the hall begin in January 2006, before the completely restored Hall of Mirrors is inaugurated in May 2007.

The scheme has been led by French company Vinci, which has been appointed a Major Partner of the French Ministry of Culture through its sponsorship of the project, providing the 12m euro (£8m, US$14.5m) necessary to fund the restoration work. Details: www.vinci.com or www.chateauversailles.fr

Photograph: © F. Poche/Atelier culturel – VINCI photo library