1978 Palace of Versailles bombing

Terrorist bombing in which one person was injured Palace of Versailles bombing La Galería de las Batallas.JPG The Batailles gallery, pictured 2007 Versailles, France it 48 48 15.93 N 2 7 13.03 E scale:3125_region:FR 1978 06 26 2:05 am 0 1 Breton Liberation Front Around 2:30 am on Monday, 26 June 1978, the historic Palace of Versailles near Paris, France, was bombed by Breton nationalists belonging to the Breton Liberation Front (FLB). The powerful explosion occurred on the ground floor of the left wing of the palace and caused damage within an 80 meter radius. Many statues and priceless paintings were damaged, including an entire gallery and several pieces of Napoleonic art, and a wide hole was opened in the ceiling. The bomb caused millions of francs in damage. 26 June 1978 VERSAILLES PALACE IS DAMAGED BY BOMB The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/1978/06/26/archives/versailles-palace-is-damaged-by-bomb-heavy-explosion-wrecks-three.html 4 March 2023 The Hall of Mirrors, opera house and chapel were undamaged.https://www.nytimes.com/1978/06/27/archives/new-jersey-pages-3-groups-claim-versailles-bombing-police-skeptical.html 3 Groups Claim Versailles Bombinghttps://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,946811,00.html FRANCE: Napoleon Is Bombed at Versailles 10 July 1978 content.time.com One night guard was wounded.Koven Ronald https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1978/06/27/bomb-damage-to-art-antiques-at-versailles-put-at-1-million/ad107bb7-7445-4362-b19e-51e22c0e54ff/?noredirect=on Bomb Damage to Art, Antiques At Versailles Put at $1 Million The Washington Post 1978-06-27 2018-07-11 Aftermath and convictions French Minister of Culture Jean-Philippe Lecat said the bombing evokes an "absolutely heinous criminal side" of the Breton nationalists. Hubert Landais, the director of French museums at the time, called the attack a "real catastrophe." The Breton Democratic Union also condemned the attack. After the bombing, restoration works commenced costing 3 million francs. The Bataille room was finally re-opened to the public in April 1982.https://www.ina.fr/video/I00015795/jack-lang-a-propos-de-la-restauration-du-chateau-de-versailles-video.html Jack Lang à propos de la restauration du château de Versailles - Vidéo fr Ina.fr 1970-01-01 2018-07-11 Both the FLB and the Armed Nuclei for Popular Autonomy claimed responsibility, but police later found that it was caused by the Breton group. The two perpetrators were FLB members Lionel Chenevière and Padrig Montauzier, who placed the bomb the day before. The two were already under surveillance by authorities in Rennes, and were arrested the next day. They were sentenced to death in November 1978. Following the election of François Mitterrand as President in 1981, they were freed after an amnesty law had been enacted as part of Mitterrand's plans to give in to some of the demands of the Breton regional government.Henry et Lagadec 2008, p. 264.November 2022 The attack came in the context of renewed terrorist activity by the FLB in 1976, targeting cultural property in protest of the signing of the Breton Cultural Charter. The group were trying to 'punish' the French state for its annexation of the formerly independent Brittany region.https://www.upi.com/Archives/1982/12/08/Nationalists-largely-were-behind-the-bombing-of-national-monuments/1233408171600/ Nationalists largely were behind the bombing of national monuments... The FLB's activities were usually confined to Brittany itself.https://books.google.com/books?id=L4ieBQAAQBAJ&q=versailles+palace+bomb+1978&pg=PT143 Fear of Fear: A Survey of Terrorist Operations and Controls in Open Societies John B. Wolf 29 June 2013 Springer Science & Business Media 9781468439953 Google Books German tabloid Die Welt later said no reasonable French person wants the state to grant independence to peripheral provinces, "nor Brittany, nor Alsace, nor Occitania."Henry et Lagadec 2008, p. 208.November 2022 The Palace of Versailles became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. See also 1974 Tower of London bombing Laszlo Toth The Roc'h Trédudon attack References External links Associated Press coverage of the bombing's aftermath - YouTube Category:1978 building bombings Category:Terrorist incidents in Île-de-France Category:1970s crimes in Paris Category:1978 in Paris Category:June 1978 in Europe Category:Terrorist incidents in France in 1978 Category:History of the Palace of Versailles Category:Residential building bombings in France Category:Communist terrorist incidents in Europe Category:Attacks on museums Category:Attacks on official residences Category:20th century in Île-de-France Category:Nationalist terrorism in Europe