Today’s motto is “Rise and shine and take advantage of opportunities!”
A special visit to the Elysee French presidential Palace
Every September, ‘Heritage Open Days’ unlock the doors of palaces that are usually closed to the public. So, if you happen to be in Paris during this event, take advantage of this opportunity and visit the Elysee French Presidential Palace. For now, you can discover some of the most beautiful rooms of the official presidential residence in today’s travel tip. Instead of saying ‘some’, I should have rather said ‘a very few’ since there are 365 rooms – one for every day of the year on a 120,000 sq ft area (11,179 sq m).
The Elysée Palace: a good deal for the Count on a budget
The building has undergone several transformations over the last three centuries. It all started in 1718 when the palace was built as the residence of the Count of Evreux. In search of a good bargain, he found it in the land of the architect Mollet. The location (behind the Avenue des Champs-Élysées) was simply perfect, and the price was not too high. There was only one condition: the buyer wanted to build the palace himself. And so he did.
A very central room was already at that time the now called Ambassadors’ Room. Here’s a magnificent gilded astronomical clock representing the fall of Phaeton. It displays not only the time but also the months, the moon phases and the Zodiac signs. Among the almost 800 people working at the Elysee Palace, a clock-maker is in charge of daily winding all the clocks.
A brief history of the Elysee Palace owners
After the first owner’s death, the palace hosted some powerful men and women, like the Marquise de Pompadour. Everything brings back to the influential mistress of Louis XV in her former parade room, except for a marble bust portraying the most unexpected female character in the French presidential house: Queen Marie Antoinette.
Following the French Revolution, Joachim Murat and his wife, Napoleon’s sister, came to live here. They had the palace restored with the main staircase linking the ground with the first floor. Nowadays the room named after Murat houses the Council of Ministers, but at that time it was a ballroom. Since it was not spacious enough, the musicians had to stay outdoor.
The Palace becomes the home of French president
Since 1848, during the second Republic, the Elysee has been the official residence of French presidents. In 1889, the 5th French President, Sadi Carnot, inaugurated the impressive ‘Salle des Fêtes’. The Hall is about 120 feet (36 meters) long and 80 feet (24 meters) wide. Such dimensions were possible only thanks to the metal structure of the room. Obviously, the ‘Salle des Fêtes’ embodies the sense of the grandeur of France. That’s the perfect conclusion to our journey, but you can continue to explore the Elysee Palace on a virtual tour.
If you like Paris, you may also be interested in Contemporary art tour in Marais, Marais district in Paris: trendy, cultural and multi-ethnic
