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The Hôtel de Bourvallais has been both office and residence of the Minister of Justice since a ruling of the King’s Council dated 5th September 1718. Built in 1699 at the request of the Maître des Requêtes Joseph-Guillaume de Vieuxville, this mansion subsequently became the property of financier Poisson de Bourvallais, after whom it was named. The latter was later imprisoned for misappropriation of royal money for his own benefit. After two years, he benefited from a settlement whose conditions included relinquishing his mansion to the king. The Place Vendôme façades, built by J. Hardouin Mansart in the late 17th century, were subsequently sold to farmer generals and financiers.Built in 1770 and inhabited during the reign of Napoleon I by Cambacérès, father of the Civil Code, the Hôtel de Beauvau is one of the most protected places in France, and its proximity to the Palais de l’Elysée and United States Embassy does not encourage relaxed vigilance! It was opened to the public for the first time during the Heritage Days in September 2005. The Ministry of the Interior is repeating the experiment, allowing access to the banqueting room, minister’s office and salon, portrait gallery (showing the 140 Ministers of the Interior who have occupied the premises!), as well as – on a more sinister note – the old Gestapo jails. Visitors will enter via the main courtyard, where there will be two fire brigade trucks with long ladders, as well as police and gendarmerie vehicles. Policemen’s, gendarmes’ and firemen’s uniforms from the 1870s (when the Ministry of the Interior was set up here) will be on display. The national police force band will be playing.Originally this superb mansion, surrounded by verdant grounds and hidden away in the heart of the 7th arrondissement, was just a small house built in 1695 and acquired by Marshal Antoine-Gaston de Roquelaure (1656-1738). In 1724, he had it extended by architects Jean Cailleteau (known as “Lassurance”) and Jean-Baptiste Leroux, who was notably responsible for the decor of the marshal’s office and vestibule. Last year, over 9,200 visitors flocked to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At the request of Guizot, Minister for Foreign Affairs, the construction of the Hôtel du quai d’Orsay was entrusted to the architect Lacornée (who was also responsible for the now destroyed Palais d’Orsay) from 1844 to 1855. The external decoration was created by sculptors who had been involved in the restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris and the châteaux of Blois and Saint-Cloud. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has therefore occupied the same premises since the mid-19th century... Except for some restoration and extension work, the buildings have not been extensively modified. It is because of this stability that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is commonly referred to as “Quai d'Orsay”!The Palais-Royal was originally the magnificent residence built for Cardinal de Richelieu by architect Jacques Lemercier from 1624. On the cardinal’s death, the palace was bequeathed to Louis XIII. In 1643, following the death of Louis XIII, the regent Anne of Austria and her son, the young Louis XIV, moved in, along with Cardinal Mazarin. And so this cardinal’s palace became “royal”. King Louis XIV’s brother and his male descendents (notably his son, Philippe d’Orléans) kept the place until 1848, and gave it its present-day appearance. Philippe d’Orléans notably had some apartments renovated by Oppenordt and a picture gallery decorated by Coypel.The Palais d’Iéna, which today houses the Economic and Social Council, is the work of architect Auguste Perret and was built in 1937-1938. The hemicycle was not completed until 1955. Until that time, the palace housed the museum of public works. This innovative building combines classicism with its entrance rotunda, and innovation with its fluted concrete columns. The entire Palais d’Iéna was listed as an historic monument in July 1993. The Economic and Social Council, the third constitutional assembly of the French Republic, is the sole advisory body where all representatives of the forces of civil society can meet and express their opinions in a spirit of dialogue and exchange. Each year, 15,000 French people come to explore the Senate – one of the seats of power in France – and are at once impressed by the beauty of the Palais du Luxembourg and by its excellent state of repair. Visitors can then, of course, explore the Senate in its entirety: the hemicycle, library, conference room, the President’s wing with its magnificent salons, etc. Since 2002, a little-known area of the garden, the orchid house, has been open to the public and boasts some true marvels! The Senate gardeners have an international reputation, particularly in orchid growing: some of them have won awards in international shows. The discovery of this unique but fragile place will be an opportunity to pay homage to these gardeners, who have managed to make the Jardin du Luxembourg one of the most beautiful gardens in France.The Palais Bourbon is open to the public only on rare occasions. Every year, during the Heritage Days, it beats all attendance records with 20,000 visitors – three times more than the Élysée! Behind this symbol of the Republic hides the turbulent history of a royal palace built between 1722 and 1728, which was however turned, in spite of this, into a “house of the people”... And ironically, for four centuries the Palais Bourbon has carried the name of the longest French dynasty! In addition to its architectural wealth, you will discover one of the finest libraries in the world, decorated by Delacroix and gathering together almost 1,900 priceless works, including records of the trial of Joan of Arc and the manuscript of the Marseillaise by Rouget de Lisle. During your visit, screens set up in the various salons explain the functioning of the National Assembly and present the main points of legislative activity. As you stand in line, you will also be able to hear the drums of the Republican Guard as well as its string quartet, playing in the banqueting room.Since 1935, the Hôtel Matignon has been the residence of the head of government. It was built by architects Jean Courtonne and Jean Mazin between 1722 and 1725. The panelling is the work of Michel Lange, who also decorated the Grand Salon in the Palais de l’Elysée. The Hôtel Matignon has four salons on the ground floor: the Galerie du Conseil, Salon Jaune, Salon Bleu (where distinguished visitors are received) and Salon Rouge. The Prime Minister’s work areas are upstairs: the Office, Meeting Room, Dining Room, Smoking Room... as are his private apartments. The mansion is surrounded by a 7.5-acre park, designed by Achille Duchêne in 1902. It is the largest private garden in Paris, combining French-style vistas with English romanticism. Guided tour of the ground-floor salons.Le Palais de l’Élysée est sans conteste la star de ces journées du Patrimoine. Édifié et décoré entre 1718 et 1722, cet Hôtel fut aménagé selon les principes de l'architecture classique : un vestibule d'entrée situé dans l'axe de la Cour d'Honneur et des Jardins, un corps de logis double en profondeur, un Grand Appartement ou Appartement de Parade partagé en son milieu par un Grand Salon ouvert sur le jardin. Visite libre de la Cour d'honneur et les salons du rez-de-chaussée...The town hall or “Hôtel de Ville” – “Maison Commune” (“common house”) of Parisian merchants – started out as a modest house resting on piles… It stood, at the time, on Place de Grève (forerunner of the Place de l’Hôtel de Ville): the “grève”, or strand, enabled the unloading of merchandise.At the merchants’ request, François I transformed the Maison Commune into a superb Renaissance building in 1533. Designed by Dominique de Cortone (nicknamed Boccador) and the architect Pierre Chambiges, it was completed in 1628 during the reign of Louis XIII. Considerably extended in the 19th century, it was destroyed by a terrible fire during the Commune in 1871. The present Hôtel de Ville, inaugurated in 1882, is the work of Théodore Ballu and Edouard Deperthes, who won the competition to rebuild and opted to preserve the appearance of the old town hall. Areas open to the public: Salon des Prévôts and Salon des Tapisseries; grand staircase; Salon des Arcades, Salon Jean-Paul Laurens and Salon Georges Bertrand; Salle des Fêtes; Salon des Cariatides, Salon Chéret and Salon Bonis; Galerie and Salle des Commissions, library and council chamber, Corridor Ballu; gallery, Mayor’s office and private salons (seen from the doorway); gardens. This superb Faubourg Saint-Germain mansion was built for Claude Théophile de Bésiade, Marquis d'Avaray, by the architect Jean-Baptiste Roux in 1720. The house was to remain in the family for two centuries! Restored in 1920 by the Netherlands, the Hôtel d'Avaray has kept its original staircase and beautiful interior decor (tapestries, paintings from the Dutch School). The inner courtyard, entrance hall, library, small salon, music room and dining room will be open to the public. Built by Robert de Cotte in 1713 for the Duchesse d’Estrées, this three-storey mansion belonged to a daughter of the Regent before changing hands several times until it became home to the Russian Embassy at the end of the 19th century. Emperor Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra stayed here in 1896 during a visit to the French capital. It is still occupied by the Russian Embassy, although the reception rooms and chancery moved to Boulevard Lannes in 1978. Painted yellow and white, Scandinavian style, it is now the ambassador’s private residence. The façade overlooking the courtyard was extensively altered during the 19th century; very beautiful staircase, French-style garden and cobbled main courtyard.Open access inside and out (ground floor and first floor). A stone’s throw from the Élysée this fine mansion, built by Mazin (who had just completed the Hôtel de Matignon) in 1720, has been occupied by the Embassy of Great Britain for over 150 years. The Hôtel de Charost was originally built for Paul-François de Béthune-Charost, Marquis de l'Ancenis. It was Pauline Borghèse, Napoleon’s younger sister, who famously held court here in opulent style from 1803 to 1814. The Duke of Wellington purchased it on behalf of George III in 1814, with all its First Empire decor, to open Great Britain’s first permanent embassy abroad. The Hôtel de Béhague, beautiful Belle Époque mansion, is worth a look for its fine eclectic style, Byzantine theatre and the salons of Comtesse Martine de Béhague (1870-1939), which have been perfectly preserved.
