Home
Art and Culture
Institutions
INSTITUTIONS
Below are some other buildings around the city that deserve
attention. Also, don’t forget to take a look at museums,
monuments,
districts and to visit.
UNESCO HEADQUARTERS
Source:
www.parisbalades.com
Unesco, 7 place de Fontenoy
(métro Ségur, Cambronne)
(tel. 01 45 68 03 71, open 9.00-12.30 and 14.30-18.00 except Saturday
and Sunday)(Architects Breuer, Nervi, Zehfuss, 1958).
UNESCO.
UNESCO, the United Nations Education, Science
and Cultural Organisation, was created in 1945 to promote peace
between nations through cultural exchange. The east side leads
on to a Japanese garden where, in 1993, designer Charlotte Perriand
added a tea room, built with bamboo and sailcloth. On the west
side is an immense piazza decorated with modern art sculptures.
ASSEMBLEE NATIONALE
Source:
126 rue de l'Université
Métro Assemblée nationale
(pantings by Jean-Charles Blais)
(tel. 01 48 87 24 14 ou 01 40 63 77 77, open to visitors on
Saturdays at 10.00, 14.00, 15.00 unless the Assembly is in session.
Admission at 33 quai d’Orsay with identification.
Assemblée
Nationale. Situated facing Place de la Concorde, the
Assemblée
Nationale (also known as the Palais Bourbon) was built 1726
for the daughter of Louis XIV and Mme de Montespan, widow of the
duc de Bourbon. All that remains of the original building is the
façade on Rue de l’Université. This is where
the members of the French parliament meet and it is the residence
of the President of the National Assembly. Members of parliament,
elected by universal suffrage for a period of 6 years, here carry
out their role of proposing, debating, amending and voting on
bills of legislation. For a law to be permanently adopted, it
must also be passed by the
Senate, the second house of parliament.
BOURSE DE PARIS - (PARIS STOCK
EXCHANGE) PALAIS BRONGNIART
Source:
4 place de la Bourse (2è)
M° Bourse
Tel: 01 42 33 99 83
Open: 13.30-15.00 Monday - Friday
Created in the 19th century by
Napoléon,
the
stock exchange was designed by architect Alexandre Théodore
Brogniart. Its purpose was to strengthen and encourage the prosperty
of French industry and commerce. The surrounding area has become
the financial quarter of the city.
HOTEL DE VILLE PARIS
Source:
www.parisbalades.com
Place de l'Hôtel de Ville (
mairie
de paris) (tel. 01 42 76 43 43, visits tel. 01 42 76 50
49)
The Municipality of Paris was born out of the
Guild of River Merchants. In 1246, Saint Louis created the first
municipality. Above the crown of the building rise statues of
the 30 greatest cities in France, with the exceptions of Strasbourg
and Metz. The face of the ornate clock in the centre of the façade
represents several feminine allegories: the Seine and the Marne
harnessed with work and knowledge and Paris mounted above them.
The Council of Paris, which usually takes place on Mondays, is
open to the public. The lodgings of the mayor are at the side
of the building, on Quai de l’Hôtel de Ville.
LE PALAIS DE JUSTICE
Source:
www.parisbalades.com
4 bd du Palais (1er)
M° Cité
Tel: 01 44 32 50 00
Open:
9.00-17.00 Monday - Friday
The main entrance to the Palais de Justice
overlooks the Cour de Mai. Passing the steps into the Palais,
one enters a merchant gallery which once was one of the liveliest
spots in Paris. Coming back through the merchant gallery one can
visit the Salle des Pas Perdus (Hall of Lost Footsteps). The Revolutionary
Tribunal sat in this room.
HOTEL MATIGNON
Source:
www.parisbalades.com
57 rue de Varenne (
premier
ministre)
métro Solférino, Rue du Bac, Varenne) (open only
during the days of the Journées du Patrimoine Festival,
mid-September)
Begun in 1721, the building was sold shortly
after completion to Jacques Goyon de Matignon, Count of Thorigny.
In 1935, it was bought back by the state and the presidency of
the council was established there. It became the residence of
the prime minister in 1958.
PALAIS DE L’ELYSEE
Source:
www.parisbalades.com
55 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré (
l'élysée)
(métro Champs-Elysées-Clémenceau, Miromesnil)
tél. 01 42 92 81 00 Erected in 1718 by Mollet for the Count of
Evreux, The Palais de l’Elysée became the official
residence of the President of the Republic in 1873. The palace
can only be visited during the days of the heritage festival September:
for this reason it is often necessary to wait as long as three
hours to get to see the seat of French power.
L'ECOLE MILITAIRE
© Pariserve.com
1 place J'offre (7è)
M°Ecole militaire
The
Royal Military School was founded by Louis XV in 1751 with
the help of Mme de Pompadour and the financier, Duverney. Its
objective was to train impoverished gentlemen into military careers.
Napoleon Bonaparte was a member of the school in 1784. The building
was completed in 1752 and was designed by Gabriel.
LE COLLEGE DE FRANCE
Source:
www.parisbalades.com
11 rue Marcelin-Berthelot (
le
collège de France)
(métroMaubert-Mutualité, Cluny-la-Sorbonne)
tel. 01 44 27 10 27, course programmes available at entrance) Founded in 1530 by François I, having
been instigated by humanist Guillaume Budé, this “School
for Royal Readers” favoured modern teachings that were refused
by the university. Never ceasing to enrich its rostrum (which
has featured such revered scientists as M. Berthelot, F. Joliot-Curie
and anthropologist C. Lévi Strauss), the college has remained
an unusual institution: it awards no diplomas, its lecturers do
not necessarily come from universities, and the lectures are open
to the general public.
LA SORBONNE
© Pariserve.com
47 rue des Ecoles (5è)
M° Cluny la Sorbonne
Tel: 01 40 46 22 11
Open: 9.00-18.00 Monday - Saturday Robert de Sorbon, who became confessor to Saint
Louis, founded a college in 1253 to allow those who were not rich
to study theology. The Pope gave his approval and this establishment
would later become the University of Paris. Cardinal Richelieu
was elected Head Teacher of the Sorbonne in August 1622. As the
number of students attending the college grew, it became equipped
with lecture theatres, examination halls, laboratories, a library
comprising over 2 million works, as well as an observatory. The
international reputation of the Sorbonne, which has always been
one of the most important universities in Europe, has entered
into a long university tradition.
INSTITUT DU MONDE ARABE
Source:
1 rue des Fossés St-Bernard (5è)
M° Jussieu
Tel: 01 40 51 38 38
Open:
10.00-18.00 Tuesday – Sunday (payment on admission)
The
Institute of the Arab World came about as a result of a convention
between France and several of Arab countries to promote intercultural
exchange. In designing this building, architect Jean Nouvel created
a modern work of art, which seems to emit a sense of purity and
harmony. The metal panels that control the lighting were inspired
by the traditions of the Moucherabiehs. The IMA has a library,
a museum on Muslim culture and numerous expositions are organised
there. On the top story is a restaurant with a terrace that offers
a splendid view of Notre Dame and Paris.
Of course, Paris is replete with
institutions
of note you may wish to learn about, you may also be interested
in other forms of cultural art, such as
media.