Musee Carnavalet Paris: Overview and Visiting Tips

The Musee Carnavalet

The 3rd arrondissement in Paris is famous for its open air markets, a huge flea market where you are able to purchase second hand items and antiques, specialty food stores, antique shops, as well as the general ambiance of strolling around. Visitors can wander into the Musee Picasso (the Picasso Museum), as well as the Conservatoire des Arts et Metiers (National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts or CNAM). The CNAM displays of numerous prototypes, including those of the very first monoplane, together with the Statue of Liberty prototype, and Foucault's Pendulum. The Carnavalet Museum is the jewel of the 3rd arrondissement and gives a wonderful of French history. The museum comprises two lovely mansionsa nd was the brainchild of Baron Haussmann himself, the city's architect and urban planner. The Hotel Carnavalet began life as an exclusive construction}, but was purchased by the Municipal Council of Paris in 1866 on Haussman's insistence. After much restoration and the amassment of a remarkable group of artifacts and arts of the city, it was then eventually opened for the public in 1880. By the twentieth century, the building was crammed as the collections kept coming in. To handle the overflow, the Hotel Le Peletier de Saint Fargeau was annexed to form an extension and in 1989, it too was opened.

A Description of the Musee Carnavalet's Exhibits

Once you enter the principal courtyard, you'll be greeted by a sculpture of Louis XIV, typically referred to as the Sun King. Inside the courtyard you are going to see displays describing the city's history, starting with its modest beginnings as a village of Lutece belonging to the Parisii tribe. This section houses the earliest known remnants of Paris, and contains canoes made out of single tree trunks called pirogues. All of these are not copies, but real, genuine artifacts dating back to 50 AD and were all mentioned in the The Gallic Wars ("De Bello Gallico" in Latin) inscribed by Julius Caesar himself. A medieval city display can also be seen at the Musee Carnavalet, displayed jointly with genuine artifacts from this period of time. Many variety of cultural artifacts are on display and showcase Paris history, tracing its development to the present day. Included in these are displays detailing the French Renaissance, various religious wars, along with the French Revolution, which is so vital to French history. Paintings and models also exist which reveal the city's transformation from the cramped and polluted, walled citadel that it once was, until renovations done under the Emperor Napoleon which made the city as what we now know it as. belongings are still contained, including a case of his own toiletries, along with his historic garments. What's intriguing is the different rooms are decorated in several period styles, which represent the age being displayed. These include genuine artifacts that provide a notion of how Parisians of varied eras lived, in addition to the technology they had at their disposal. Included are an Art Deco Ballroom, a 1652 townhouse, as well as the room of writer Marcel Proust (Remembrance of Things Past). Gardends were added to the museum grounds in the late 19th century, when Haussmann attempted to preserve elements of the old Paris as he was building his vision of the new one. Among these include a genuine merchant draper's house dating back to 1660 (Pavillon des Marchands Drapiers). There are over a half a million exhibits displayed in over 100 rooms in the Musee Carnavalet! In addition to historic displays, the Musee Carnavalet also features

• 800 pieces of period furniture
• 2,600 paintings
• 2,000 modern sculptures
• 20,000 drawings
• 300,000 engravings
• 150,000 pictures.

The museum also features items like coins, ceramics, decor, and many reproductions of these are also available for a price.

Visiting the Musee Carnavalet

Various workshops, lectures, and guided tours can also be attended at the museum, some tailored to kids. Try and contact the museum beforehand to determine which of these are done in English. The Visitor's Entrance Administration building is situated at the Hotel Carnavalet on 23 rue de Sevigne. The Graphic Arts Office is housed at the Hotel Le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau, farther down the road on 29 rue de Sevigne. The Musee Carnavalet is open Tuesdays to Sundays from 10 am to 6 pm (the ticket office closes at 5:15 pm). The exceptions fall on public holidays, Easter Sunday, and Whit Sunday (the feast of Whitsun or Pentecost in the Christian liturgical year, observed 7 weeks after Easter in early June). Please note, however, that some galleries stay open at various times, the schedules of which may be obtained from the museum's reception desk. To reach the museum via the Metro,take the Saint-Paul, Rambuteau, or Chemin Vert. Bus lines passing near the museum: numbers 29, 69, 76, and 96. You'll also be able to take the 36 rue de Sevigne, 26 rue Saint-Gilles, and the Saint-Paul metro station stops to the Musee Carnavalet.