You can continue your walk toward
Hotel the Ville and BHV department store
In 2010, BHV has made its contribution to contemporary design, by creating an area devoted to it: L’Observatoire du BHV. Situated on the 5th floor under the rotunda, this unique place, with exceptional view of Paris City Hall, exhibits works (photographs, furniture, textiles, paintings, etc.) by French and foreign designers. Finally, to deepen your culinary knowledge, BHV organize cooking classes, given by professionals of L’Atelier des chefs.
L’OBSERVATOIRE DU BHV - BHV (5th floor), 52 rue de Rivoli, Paris 4th Tel +33 (0) 9 77 40 14 00 www.bhv.fr
Close by
21, boulevard Morland, 4th, M° Bastille
To find out more about future building plans of Paris and Ile de France visit The Pavillon de l’Arsenal, a center for information, documentation and exhibition for urban planning and architecture of Paris.
The Ground floor has a permanent exhibition about the history of the development of Paris. The First floor has series of temporary exhibitions that highlight the latest issues facing urbanism and architecture in Paris. It is also the location of lectures and debates where some of the most important local and international architects, urban planners, theorists, and critics will discuss new projects and plans for the future of Paris. Free
The Marais—Neighborhood of Culture
The Marais was once a swamp, then drained and developed by the Knights of Templar and King Henri II, who once had a palace near Place des Vosges until his accidental death in a friendly jousting match. Many of the private mansions date to the 17th century when the Place des Vosges was built and the area became a popular aristocratic neighborhood. After the Revolution it was deserted and then inhabited by Eastern European Jews who used the old mansions for leather and jewelry workshops. Their community was virtually wiped out in WWII, and by the 1960s it was a rat-infested ghetto.
Today it's a different story. The old mansions have become museums and the narrow streets are lined up with small shops, cafes and restaurants.
Here are a few places to visit in Le Marais:
Place des Vosges - Maison de Victor Hugo
www.maisonsvictorhugo.paris.fr
Hôtel de Rohan-Guéménée, 6, place des Vosges, 4th, M° Chemin-Vert, Saint-Paul or Bastille
April 2020: Victor Hugo's house reopens.
Victor Hugo lived on the second floor of the Hôtel de Rohan-Guéménée from 1832 to 1848. He wrote some of his major works there : Marie Tudor, Ruy Blas, Les Burgraves, Les Chants du crépuscule, Les Voix intérieures, a large part of Les Misérables... and received Lamartine, Vigny, Dumas, Gautier... The visit of the apartment illustrates the three main stages of his life (before, during and after exile) through the display of his furniture, different memorabilia and some astonishing interior decoration produced during his exile in Guernesey.
The first floor is devoted to temporary exhibitions and displays his drawings as well as an iconography of his literary work. Entrance is free (except during Temporary Exhibitions.)
Musée National Picasso
Hôtel Salé, 5, rue de Thorigny, 3rd, M° Saint-Paul, Saint-Sébastien Froissart or Chemin Vert
Set in an historic hôtel-particulier, this museum offers Picasso’s artistic creation.
Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme
Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme
Hôtel de Saint-Aignan
71, rue du Temple, 3rd, M° Rambuteau or Hôtel de Ville
Created in 1948, the museum holds a rich collection of Jewish works and cultural pieces contributed by French and other European museums.
Musée des Arts et Métiers
Musée des Arts et Métiers
60, rue Réaumur, 3rd, M° Arts et Métiers or Réaumur-Sébastopol
There is much to see in this century old museum that specializes in technological inventions and discoveries and has about 3,000 such items on display. From computers and cars to early aircraft and even a scale model of the Statue of Liberty that you can climb inside.
Copyright © 2010-3010 ToParisToday.com · All Rights Reserved Contact Us on: mail@ToParisToday.com
Start your exploration of Paris by visiting the Musée Carnavalet. Here you’ll discover the History of Paris. Best of all it’s free.
Spend some time in this museum, which reveals the secrets of the City of Light from prehistoric times to today. A plethora of sculptures, paintings and pieces of furniture, everyday objects like dishes, old newspapers, street signs and souvenirs of historic events retrace, each in its own way, the history of Paris. This museum is set up in two townhouses (the Hôtel Carnavalet, built in 1545 and the Hôtel Le Peletier in the 17th century).
23 rue de Sévigné, 3e
Metro: St-Paul, Chemin Vert, Rambuteau
More information on www.carnavalet.paris.fr
Opening hours: 10am-6pm Tue-Sun
Marais - things to see and do
Centre George Pompidou - the modern art gallery with a twist
Centre Pompidou – The Centre Pompidou houses the National Museum of Modern Art, Children's Gallery, movie theaters and cafes.
Designed by the architects, Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers. They created the modern art gallery with a twist. They’ve made all the bones of the building visible. You can see the utility pipes and escalator tubes climbing around the exterior of the building. Parisians called it Notre-Dame des Tuyeaux (Our Lady of the Pipes).
The tubes and blocks outside the
Pompidou Center are color coded:
RED = transportation
YELLOW = electricity
BLUE = air conditioning
GREEN = water
Place Georges Pompidou, 4e
Metro: Rambuteau
More information on www.centrepompidou.fr
Opening hours: 11am-10pm Wed-Mon
In the plaza in front of the Centre Pompidou there's always something going on – mimes, marching bands and other street performers. Pick up some food from the local vendors, sit in front of Beaubourg and enjoy the performance.
Centre George Pompidou - the modern art gallery with a twist
Next to Beaubourg, don’t miss the cool contemporary Stravinsky Fountain. All the sculptures cum fountains are named after one of Stravinsky’s major works.
Place des Innocents
This used to be the site of the largest cemetery in Paris, where the bodies were piled up for many centuries that by 1780 the level of the cemetery was 2.5 meters (over 8 feet) higher than the street level.
The walls around the cemetery were so tall that they were blocking sunlight to neighboring buildings.
To cut down on the disease associated with the rat-infested cemetery, the bodies were moved into the Catacombs, at the end of the 18th century .
The fountain that stands today at the place of the old cemetery was originally built against a nearby church that doesn’t exist any more. When it was moved to this square the forth side of the fountain was added.