Musee Carnavalet

The History of Paris

In a remarkable architectural setting (twotown houses in the Marais district) the story of Paris unfolds in one hundred rooms or so and also colourful gardens, that are the home to some thousand thriving plant species.

As visitors wander through re-creations of rooms in styles ranging from the 17th to the 20th century, they can follow developments in Parisian interior design, immerse themselves in revolutionary history from the French Revolution to the Paris Commune, and also enter into the private lives of famous Parisians, imagining for example, the Marquise de Sévigné at her Chinese laquerwork desk penning her famous letters, or even Marcel Proust in his bedroom, dividing his time between his brass bed and his little table covered in pens, ink and notebooks?

The presence of works of art, the bond created with famous people from varied intellectual, political and artistic backgrounds in the capital and also the emotional impact of the historical scenes are what make this history museum so original and contribute to the unique atmosphere which it conveys of the City of Light down the centuries.