The museum dedicated to the history of Paris will finally reopen on Saturday. In the heart of the Marais, this historic monument has become a veritable maze that confuses visitors. After five years in operation, its successful restoration makes the visit smooth and luminous.

In Henri-IV Square of the Carnavalet Museum, a statue of the king on horseback overlooks beautiful squares of land bordered by woven hazelnut, just waiting for aromatic herbs in the boxes next to them. Inside, almost everything is ready. Kraft paper still covered works on paper, to keep it from light until D-Day, although the new bay windows have special filters.

On the seventy-five interactive desks scattered throughout the new road, there are still a few screens to be modified. The arrival of digital technology represents a true revolution for the Carnavalet Museum, as it is unthinkable to drill any hole to install pictorial panels: a listed historical monument, built between 1548 and 1560 and the home of Madame de Sévigné at the end of the 17th century.

Five years from closure

After five years of closure, including four for works totaling 58 million euros, the Carnavalet Museum, dedicated to the history of Paris, is about to reopen. Francois Chatillon, chief architect of historical monuments, was commissioned with the highly successful restoration, who seems to have reconsidered everything by following only one slogan: clarity. Circulation, light, volumes, floors, everything seems to have always been there (carpets, suspended ceilings or contrasting floors have been removed), and everything perfectly matches the prestigious decorative collections that made the museum famous and restored for the occasion … like the trompe-l’œil painting The mural is from the stairs of the former or famous Hôtel de Luynes Period rooms On the first floor, it is among the oldest in the history of museology. These “old rooms,” or “time capsules,” as we say today, are reconstructed pieces of woodwork and other decorative elements from splendid Parisian dwellings on the brink of demolition. “Carnavalet is a museum designed as a backdrop, it is the theater of Paris history”, Sums up its manager, Valerie Guillaume.