Au 17ème siècle, le roi de France Louis XIV, soucieux d’offrir un toit aux soldats invalides, ordonne la construction d’un vaste bâtiment pour les accueillir. En réalité, il souhaite surtout vider les trottoirs de la capitale de ses anciens soldats devenus mendiants voire voleurs. L’Hôtel des Invalides est inauguré par le roi en 1674. Le… Read more »
The Rotonde opened its doors at the beginning of the 20th century at the corner of Montparnasse and Raspail Boulevards. From being a little bar full of blue-collared workers quickly it became a crucial address in Paris for writers and artists, then it was common to meet Picasso, Modigliani, Apollinaire or Jean Cocteau. The Rotonde… Read more »
From the start of explorations for the “New World” or South Pacific Islands, mariners brought many “souvenirs” from their trip. Europeans are passionate for this far away civilisations and the wealthier get their own cabinet of curiosities. That was how a first temporary ethnographic Museum gathering many private collections opened its doors in Paris in… Read more »