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Pavillon de l'Arsenal

I think the Pavillon de l'Arsenal in Paris, near Bastille, may be known mainly to those interested in Architecture and Urbanism, which is too bad because there are usually interesting exhibits about the city of Paris. The latest Bonjour Paris newsletter says that a climbing wall has been erected, under the auspices of a French mountain climbers society, so one more reason to visit the Pavillon. And entrance is FREE!

The other bit of news is that the Doll Museum in Montmartre is closing its doors. It was a strange little place but young kids liked it.

Posted by
784 posts

The Doll Museum is not in Montmartre, but in the 3rd near the Pompideou Center. It is closing on September 15th.

Posted by
8293 posts

Oh, sorry, I always remember it as being in Montmartre. Thanks for the correction.

Posted by
150 posts

Let me chime in and say that the Pavillon de l'Arsenal indeed would be worthwhile for people who are even moderately interested in the history of Paris, including recent history, and why it developed the way it did. The disclaimer is that I'm a recently retired city planner, so I could have spent hours and hours there, but I see that others could enjoy it on a much more casual basis. Free and very convenient to Metro; there's a little gift shop too if you have a family member who is an architect or planner.

Posted by
776 posts

As a frequent Arsenal visitor, I've made great use of their book shop with its wide selection of books on Paris architecture. There is a particular set of books I like that details Paris architecture arrondissement by arrondissement.

Posted by
4684 posts

If you like architecture it's also worth visiting the Cite de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine in the Chaillot Palace. They specialise in plaster casts of parts of famous buildings elsewhere in France, which might sound dry and "inauthentic", but the casts are incredibly detailed, life-size, and spectacular.