Palais Royal

The Palais Royal (Royal Palace) is a palace with a garden located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris. It was constructed in 1629 by the French architect Jacques Lemercier in charge of Cardinal Richelieu and initially was known as the Palais Cardinal. However, when King Louis XIII moved here, it was renamed the Palais Royal.

In the years 1871-1874, the cousin of King Louis XVI, Louis-Philippe d'Orléans, extended the palace by adding arcades to the structure. Also, for several years, the building housed gambling dens and cafes. During the French Revolution of 1848 it was looted and vandalized by the Paris mob, while in 1871, the Palace Royal was again badly damaged, this time being almost entirely destroyed by fire. After the restoration of the palace in 1876, the building became the government's property. Today, it houses several bodies of the French national government: the Council of State (Conseil d'État), the Constitutional Council, and the Ministry of Culture. Additionally, in one of the palace's buildings at the rear of the garden stands the National Library of France (Bibliothèque nationale de France) with collection of over 6 million books, documents, maps, and prints.

Although it is not possible to go inside the palace, the courtyard (Cour d'Honneur), and the garden (Jardin du Palais Royal) are both open to the public. In the courtyard stands a large sculpture from 1986, the work of Daniel Buren. It is made up of 280 black and white striped columns.

The palace's garden, the Jardin du Palais Royal, is adjacent to the courtyard. In its central point sits a fountain. Around the building, there are many buildings which house restaurants, galleries and deli shops.

Source of description: planerGO

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Neighbourhood Les Halles (1st Arrondissement - Louvre)
Price definition of price gratis
Geographical coordinates 48.8650000, 2.3375000
Address 75001 Paris, Rue Molière
Construction dates 1629 -
More information official website

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