Paris_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Lonely Planet [59]
MUSÉE DES ARTS ET MÉTIERS Map
01 53 01 82 00; www.arts-et-metiers.net; 60 rue de Réaumur, 3e; temporary exhibits adult/student & 6-18yr €5.50/3.50, permanent collections free, under 5yr free; 10am-6pm Tue, Wed & Fri-Sun, to 9.30pm Thu; Arts et Métiers
The Arts & Crafts Museum, the oldest museum of science and technology in Europe, is a must for anyone with an interest in how things work. Housed in the 18th-century priory of St-Martin des Champs, some 3000 instruments, machines and working models from the 18th to 20th centuries are displayed across three floors. Taking pride of place is Foucault’s original pendulum, which he introduced to the world in 1855. There are lots of workshops and other activities here for children. An audioguide costs €2.50.
MUSÉE DE LA CHASSE ET DE LA NATURE Map
01 53 01 92 40; www.chassenature.org, in French; Hôtel Guénégaud, 62 rue des Archives, 3e; adult/student & 18-25yr €6/4.50, under 18yr free; 11am-6pm Tue-Sun; Rambuteau or Hôtel de Ville
The Hunting and Nature Museum may sound like an oxymoron to the politically correct, but in France, where hunting is a very big deal, to show your love for nature is to go out and shoot something – or so it would seem. The delightful Hôtel Guénégaud, dating from 1651 and now open after a two-year renovation, is positively crammed with weapons, paintings, sculpture and objets d’art related to hunting and, of course, lots and lots of trophies – horns, antlers, heads.
MUSÉE D’ART ET D’HISTOIRE DU JUDAÏSME Map
01 53 01 86 60; www.mahj.org; 71 rue du Temple, 3e; adult/student & 18-26yr €6.80/4.50 incl audioguide, under 18yr free; 11am-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm Sun; Rambuteau
The Museum of the Art & History of Judaism, housed in the sumptuous Hôtel de St-Aignan (1650), traces the evolution of Jewish communities from the Middle Ages to the present, with particular emphasis on the history of the Jews in France but also that of communities in other parts of Europe and North Africa. Highlights include documents relating to the Dreyfus Affair and works by Chagall, Modigliani and Soutine. Temporary exhibits cost an extra €5.50/4 and a combined ticket is €8.50/6.
MUSÉE DE LA POUPÉE Map
01 42 72 73 11; www.museedelapoupeeparis.com; impasse Berthaud, 3e; adult/aged 3-11yr/senior & 12-25yr €7/3/5, adult €4 10am-1pm Sat & Sun; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun; Rambuteau
Frightening to some – all those beady eyes and silent screams – the Doll Museum is more for adults than for children. There are around 500 of the lifeless creatures, dating back to 1800, all arranged in scenes representing Paris through the centuries. There are temporary exhibitions (think Barbie and Cindy and ‘France’s best plush animals’) as well as a ‘hospital’ for antique dolls.
MÉMORIAL DE LA SHOAH Map
01 42 77 44 72; www.memorialdelashoah.org; 17 rue Geoffroy-l’Asnier, 4e; admission free; 10am-6pm Sun-Wed & Fri, to 10pm Thu; St-Paul
Established in 1956, the Memorial to the Unknown Jewish Martyr has metamorphosed into the Memorial of the Holocaust and a documentation centre. The permanent collection and temporary exhibits relate to the Holocaust and the German occupation of parts of France and Paris during WWII; the film clips of contemporary footage and interviews are heart-rending and the displays instructive and easy to follow. The actual memorial to the victims of the Shoah, a Hebrew word meaning ‘catastrophe’ and synonymous in France with the Holocaust, stands at the entrance, where there is a wall inscribed with the names of 76,000 men, women and children deported from France to Nazi extermination camps. A guided tour ( 01 53 01 17 86) in English departs at 3pm on the second Sunday of each month.
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TAKING ON PARIS’ MUSEUMS
Warm-up exercises, half-hour breathers, a portable seat, bottled water and an energy-providing snack… It might sound as if you’re preparing for a trek in the Alps, but these are some of the recommendations