Grand Palace (Grand Palais). Grand Palais – Grand Palace in Paris Grand Palais in Paris

The Grand Palais (Grand Palace) on the Champs Elysees is a luxurious building in the Beaux Arts style, a major cultural and exhibition center.

It was built for the 1900 World Exhibition. At first they doubted whether it would be possible to eclipse the success of the Eiffel Tower at the last exhibition? We decided that this time the emphasis would be on art. The Grand Palace of Fine Arts (full name Grand Palais) became part of a large-scale redevelopment of the western part of Paris.

Construction was difficult. The soil could not support the weight of the building, 3,400 oak piles were needed, because of this the estimate was greatly exceeded. A gigantic amount of stone, steel, crushed stone, bricks, equipment and labor was required. One and a half thousand construction workers also created problems - strikes broke out.

The result was worth it. A majestic building appeared with a steel frame, a huge glass roof, a large number of statues, friezes, and mosaics. Bronze quadrigas by Georges Recipon crown both wings of the facade - allegorical statues representing Immortality, ahead of time, and Harmony, triumphing over discord. The inscription on the pediment proclaims that the Republic dedicates this building to the glory of French art.

From the very beginning, the Palace became a venue for exhibitions - dedicated to innovation and technology and, of course, artistic ones. It was here that Matisse and Gauguin gained recognition, and it was here that Cubism, led by the still unknown Picasso, first announced itself.

During World War II, the building was requisitioned as a military hospital with a thousand beds. Artists and sculptors who were not subject to mobilization decorated the wards or made molds for prosthetics. During the occupation, the palace was used to host Nazi propaganda exhibitions, and during the liberation of Paris, it was used as the headquarters of the Resistance.

Today the Grand Palais is still an artistic center. Exhibitions, fashion parades (the Chanel fashion house holds its shows here), car shows, horse shows, book fairs, live concerts, the world fencing championship - it is difficult to list all the events taking place under the glass roof of the Grand Palais des Beaux-Arts.


In the center of Petit Palais there is a beautiful, cozy cafe “Le Jardin Du Petit Palais”, where it is pleasant to sit in silence away from the bustle of the big city. The exquisite furnishings are conducive to relaxation - exotic plants, columns, and mosaic patterns are even present on the dishes. The cost of the daily dish with dessert is 15.90 euros.

The establishment is open daily 10:00-17:00, on Friday until 19:00. Monday is a day off.

The Grand Palais has its own restaurant, which offers tastings of honey collected directly on the palace grounds. It is open during Palais opening hours.

Opening hours and cost of visiting the Palaces

Although the Grand and Small Palaces stand side by side, facing each other, their opening hours are different.

Opening hours of the Grand Palace:

  • The Grand Palace welcomes guests daily: 9:00-22:00.
  • Tuesday is a day off.

Opening hours of the Small Palace:

  • The Small Palace is open: daily 10:00-18:00.
  • Monday is a day off.

Tickets to the Big and Small Palace

  • Temporary and permanent exhibitions at the Grand Palais will cost 6-12 euros.
  • The permanent exhibitions of the Petit Palais are open to everyone free of charge, which is very pleasing, although unusual.
  • Temporary ones cost 4-11 euros.

For reference: in Paris there is a wonderful tradition of declaring a “night of museums”. This means that any museum in the capital is open for free after 18:00 until midnight.

The queues are long, but is this really an obstacle to the opportunity to see the best masterpieces of world art?

Location and how to get to the Big and Small Palaces

Whether strolling through the expensive boutiques of the Champs-Élysées, visiting the legendary bars, admiring the sights or strolling along the Pont Alexandre III, it is difficult not to notice two magnificent buildings that resemble boxes where the most valuable treasures are usually kept.

The Grand Palais in Paris and its permanent neighbor, the Petit Palais, took pride of place south of Chance-Elise, located between the main street of the capital and the Place de la Concorde, where the Luxor obelisk of Pharaoh Ramses II, donated to the city by the Egyptian ruler Mehmet Ali in 1831, proudly stands.

You can get to the Museum of Fine Arts and the Palace of Discovery by taking a taxi and travel comfortably from anywhere in the city.

If you prefer to make your own route, you will have to resort to the services of.

Big and Small Palace on the map

Contact Information

Grand Palais address: 3 Avenue du Eisenhower 75008 Paris, France
Contact phone: +33 1 44 13 17 17
Official website of the Grand Palais: www.grandpalais.fr
Petit Palais address: Avenue Winston Churchill, 75008 Paris, France
Contact phone: +33 1 53 43 40 00
Official website of the Petit Palais: www.petitpalais.paris.fr

Grand Palais in Paris (Video)

Big and Small Palace (Photo)

Photo gallery of the Grand Palais in Paris

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Grand and Petit Palais in Paris

The Grand Palais of Paris was built for the 1900 Universal Exhibition. The building immediately became famous for its huge glass roof. Now this building houses a science museum. In 1900, Paris solemnly hosted the World Exhibition. Due to the high importance of the event, the city planned large construction projects, including the construction of the Alexander III Bridge, the Grand Palace and the similar Petit Palais.

Thanks to its domed glass roof, the Grand Palais is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Paris. Three different architects worked on the project, but the key role was played by the famous Frenchman Charles Giraud, who received carte blanche to create the Petit Palace. The building is a magnificent combination of a classic stone facade, glass and iron in the Art Nouveau style.


The Grand Palais of Paris is to this day the largest building made of glass and iron. Its closest competitor was London's Crystal Palace, which was destroyed by a terrible fire. The Grand Palace in the Belle Epoque style has a steel frame weighing 9,400 tons, 15,000 square meters of glass, and a zinc galvanized iron roof covering an area of ​​about 5,000 square meters. The stone interior is decorated with magnificent colorful mosaics and intricate sculptures.


When one of the cells of the glass ceiling of the Grand Palais collapsed in 1993, the building was closed for a ten-year reconstruction. The first phase of renovations was completed in 2004, and the remainder opened in 2007. The renovations included metal frame repairs, glass replacement, and roof restoration. Some of the art masterpieces have also been updated, including Georges Recipon's horse sculptures that crown the corners of the palace. The mosaics have also been completely restored and restored.


For a century, the Grand Palais was a public exhibition hall and the venue for many important events. And although the main gallery is now entirely dedicated to contemporary art, the palace hosts many interesting exhibitions - from displays of vintage cars to fashion shows from leading Parisian designers.





The Grand Palais is divided into three different areas, each with its own entrance: the Museum of Science and Technology is on Franklin Roosevelt Avenue, the National Gallery of the Grand Palais (the main exhibition hall) is accessible from the Place Clemenceau, and the entrance to the Nave of the Grand Palais is open from the avenue Winston Churchill is directly opposite the Small Palace.

It is almost impossible not to notice the Grand Palais des Beaux-Arts of Paris. A gigantic building with a fancy glass roof, copper quadrigas on the pediments and a high spire topped with a tricolor attracts the gaze of any traveler, no matter where he is - on board an excursion boat sailing along the Seine, on the second floor of a tourist bus crossing the Pont Alexandre III, on observation decks of the Arc de Triomphe or the Eiffel Tower. The Grand Palais was built for the Universal Exhibition of 1900 and marks the end of the era of the great redevelopment of Paris - together with the Petit Palais, it completes the line stretching from the esplanade of the Invalides to the Champs-Elysees.

Story

The architects of the future pavilion faced a very difficult task: to create a majestic, beautiful and at the same time original building (it was necessary to take into account that the structure would probably be compared to the Eiffel Tower). As a result, the Parisian authorities preferred the project of the “three musketeers” - Henri Deglan, Albert Louvet, Albert Thomas. Charles Giraud, the creator of the Small Palace, was called upon to coordinate the external architectural appearance of the Grand Palace. The authors chose to move away from the modernism of Gustave Eiffel and carried out the construction in the Beaux Arts style, which involves a combination of various artistic and engineering trends - therefore, antique bronze quadrigas on the pediments, baroque wall decor and the advanced design of the glazed roof, with the steel weaving of the frame reminiscent of Eiffel Tower.

The production of the main vault of the Grand Palace took 6,000 tons of steel - more than during the construction of the “First Lady of Paris”. Its glazing area is 13,500 square meters. m - even today the roof of the palace is considered the largest glass roof in Europe.

Construction was difficult: the weak riverine soil could not support the weight of the grandiose building, the foundation had to be urgently strengthened - pretty soon the budget was exceeded, and due to insufficient payment for overtime work, the builders staged mass strikes. Nevertheless, by some miracle they met the deadline: “The building dedicated by the Republic to the glory of French art” (this inscription can still be read on the pediment) was opened exactly at the beginning of the World Exhibition of 1900.

Grand Palace today

Nowadays, the monumental structure is divided into two unequal parts: the smaller one is occupied by the “Museum of Discoveries and Inventions” (a favorite place for excursions of French schoolchildren), and the larger one is occupied by the Art Gallery. It does not have a permanent exhibition, but temporary exhibitions are invariably of the highest quality - they attract up to 2 million visitors to the Grand Palace every year.

Practical information

Address: Paris, Avenue Eisenhower, 3. Website

How to get there: the most convenient way is by metro (Champs-Elysees - Clemenceau or Franklin D. Roosvelt stations) or RER (Invalides station).

Opening hours and ticket prices: As a rule, the Grand Palace is open every day except Tuesday, from 10:00 to 22:00. Opening hours may vary on individual exhibition days. Ticket prices also vary depending on the events.