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The Carnavalet Museum in Paris showcases the city’s history from pre-Roman times to the present day through a collection of 580,000 objects housed in two adjacent mansions. The museum offers exhibits of prehistoric and Gallo-Roman artifacts, portraits and busts of French monarchs, and exhibitions dedicated to the French Revolution and Napoleon. Visitors can also explore Paris in the 20th and 21st centuries through photographs and paintings, and experience a reconstruction of Marcel Proust’s writing room. The museum offers courses and activities for all ages, and admission is free.
The Carnavalet Museum is a Parisian institution dedicated to preserving the history of the city. The collection of some 580,000 objects is housed in the Hotel Carnavalet and Hotel Le Peletier de Saint Fargeau, adjacent mansions built in the mid-16th and mid-17th centuries, respectively. The collections span the history of Paris from pre-Roman times through the French Revolution to the city in the 16th century. Visitors can examine drawings and paintings as well as furniture, coins and sculptures. Also on display are ceramics, photographs and signs.
The focus of this museum is on the historical, showing how the pre-Roman city of Lutetia evolved into present-day Paris. Located in the Marais district, the two houses constitute the oldest municipal museum in the city. The Hotel Carnavalet was built in 1548 and purchased by the city council in 1866 with the aim of creating the museum which was then opened to the public in 1880. The Carnavalet Museum has gradually expanded over the years, eventually resulting in the nearby Hotel Le Peletier de Saint Fargeau in 1989.
Hotel Le Peletier de Saint Fargeau was built in 1688 and boasts one of the last orange groves in the Marais. This building houses the museum’s prehistoric and Gallo-Roman artifacts. Many of these artifacts were found during 19th-century excavations around Paris. Highlights include Neolithic canoes, a 3rd-century BC surgeon’s instrument case, and a mammoth tooth. Also on display are artefacts from the pre-Roman and Roman city of Lutetia, the forerunner of Paris.
The Hotel Carnavalet was originally built in 1548 as the residence of the president of the Parisian Parliament. The name was taken from the 1578 buyer. Visitors are greeted by a Louis XIV statute and lush gardens, but exhibits covering the city’s history from 1500 to 1789 are the highlight of the Carnavalet Museum.
A 1900 model of the city in 1520 gives a general overview of medieval Paris crowded with narrow streets. Portraits and busts of some of France’s great monarchs complement the historic architecture and decor. Exhibitions dedicated to the French Revolution feature the Bastille, portraits of Marie Antoinette, King Louis XVI and the Dauphin, and important revolutionary figures. There are also exhibits devoted to Napoleon, 19th-century Paris, and glamorous signage that once advertised business locations throughout the city.
Paris in the 20th and 21st centuries is told mainly through photographs and paintings. Visitors can also experience a reconstruction of the room where Marcel Proust wrote, made with the author’s original furniture. The Carnavalet Museum also boasts a collection of 20 graphic art works, including posters, maps and architectural drawings.
Like many museums, the Carnavalet Museum embraces education as part of its mission. Consequently, it offers many courses and activities for adults, children and families. Students and researchers are also welcome to make appointments with the head curator to review specific objects and collections, and admission is free.
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