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The Musée de l'Armée certainly is housed in the most
appropriate place, as Les Invalides in Paris was
originally ordered to be built by King Louis XIV as a hospital and home for disabled
soldiers.
The Musée de l'Armée comprises the Church Saint-Lois des Invalides, L'Eglise du Dome,
and the military glory pantheon and since the year 1840 the Hôtel National des Invalides
has been the burial vault of Napoleon I, which has become a major reason for the amount of
tourists that visit this museum every year when on holiday in France.
Due to several years of renovation, known as the Athena project, the museum now also has
space dedicated to World War II, Général de Gaulle's actions, Free France and Fighting
France, and this particular part of the museum was officially inaugurated in June 2000.
The permanent collections on display are organised into different collections that take
you on a chronological tour from ancient times through the end of World War II and holding absolutely
thousands of artifacts, you will be able to view such things as weapons, armour,
artillery, uniforms, emblems, flags, paintings, awards, orders and illustrations on
military topics, badges plus even artillery guns and a full size cannon.
There are numerous scale models on display along with around 150,000 historical figurines
in the form of little toy soldiers dressed in their uniforms that look as though they wish
to fight each other for space!
Located in the fantastic setting of the Les
Invalides, the Musée de l'Armée is one of the greatest military history museums in
the world and extremely comprehensive presenting one of the finest collections of arms,
armour and uniforms and this is one place that should be on your agenda when you are
visiting Paris, whilst you are on holiday in France.
There are two different ways to access the museum and Napoleon's Tomb. The first is via the
North reception desk by the Esplanade des Invalides and the second is via the South
reception desk by the Place Vauban.
Also, unlike many museums in Paris. there is a car park
and disabled access along with a free cloakroom and a cafeteria, which is open all year
round as well, plus there is a bookshop and gift shop.
It is open every day of the year, except for the first Monday of every month and on
national holidays. During the months of October through to March the Musée de
l'Armée is open from 10am through to 5pm and April until the end of September it is open
from 10am through to 6pm. However, the ticket offices close 45 minutes before the museum
closes.
Yet, every Tuesday they hold a late evening, which means the museum stays open until 9pm
and if you decide to visit late on a Tuesday, providing you arrive after 4pm you will get
reduced admission price.
Address & Contact Details:
Musée de l'Armée
Hôtel National des Invalides
129 Rue de Grenelle
75007
Paris
France
Telephone: 1 44 42 37 72
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