Les Invalides

Les Invalides is a large 17th-century building located in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. It’s very close to the Military Academy at the end of the Champs de Mars and currently houses the popular Military Museum.

Originally, the building was designed to house those hurt in war (thus “les invalides”). At the end of the 1800s, there were two museums about artillery and military history, but in 1905 they were combined to become the Musée de l’Armée which we have today.

The entire palace complex is enormous and includes various French-style gardens, a war hospital, a large museum, a housing area, a cathedral, and a store with all kinds of items and books about war, Napoleon, and French history. There’s also a cafe, and finally a church whose golden dome is one of the most recognizable points of the city and whose interior houses the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte.

This palace was built to house over 4,000 war wounded, but it is now a warm museum that’s sure to fascinate anyone with an interest in military history. For me, I preferred to just enjoy the elegance of the building itself and pay a visit to the tomb. It’s formed of six coffins of red porphyry that fit inside each other like a Russian doll. Within the same church, generals like Foch are buried alongside Napoleon. It’s an impressive and obligatory visit.

The Hotel des Invalides was created as a place for disabled veterans. Most of the rooms are occupied by museums or by the military authorities. The Napoleon is buried in a red tomb in the chapel, above a green granite base, as his wish was to be near the Seine and among the French people. The twelve goddesses of victory surround the crypt and serve as a reminder of the twelve most important campaigns of Napoleon. The entrance is flanked by German tanks captured in World War II.

Le Musée de L'Armée is located at Invalides in Paris. Originally it was built as a hotel for disabled soldiers of Louis XIV, it now houses the Tomb of Napoleon 1st and the Army Museum. The museum is open every day and was inaugurated in 1905. Exposure of the Second World War is very broad and covers several rooms with samples of the German invasion, the occupation of France, resistance and liberation.

I have never been inside , but love chilling on the grass in front of it. Nice for a pic-nique and a drink with friends at night !