Grand Palais in Paris. Grand and Petit Palace in Paris: photo, address, history. Thoughts about the beautiful and their embodiment

The Grand Palais in France (Grand Palais) is an absolutely amazing imagination, a majestic architectural creation, made in the Beaux-Arts style. The Grand Palace is comfortably located near the Champs Elysees. It was built in 1897, in Paris, especially for the World Exhibition, which was held in France in 1900 from April to November. And since then the Grand Palace has been known and […]

Grand Palace in France ( Grand Palais) is an absolutely amazing imagination, a majestic architectural creation, made in the Beaux-Arts style. The Grand Palace is conveniently located near champs elysees.

It was built in 1897, in Paris, specifically for the world exhibition, which took place in France in 1900 from April to November. And since then Grand Palace known and revered as the largest exhibition and cultural center of the French state.

An interesting fact is that the world-famous Eiffel Tower was also built for the World Exhibition, which was held in 1889. Above the two entrances of the Grand Palace are copper quadrigas, made by the magnificent Georges Resipon. From the side of the Seine there is a statue of "L'Harmonie triomphant de la Discorde", which means "Harmony triumphs over discord", and from the side of the Champs Elysees one can see the statue "L'Immortalité devançant le Temps", translated from French, this expression means "Immortality is ahead of time itself." The western wing of the Grand Palace is occupied by the Museum of Inventions and Discoveries, and the Art Gallery is located in the northern wing.

In a buiding Grand Palace interesting exhibitions and events are held. So, from the end of 2010 to January 2011, there was an art exhibition Claude Monet. By the way, in order to be able to get to this magnificent exhibition, one had to stand in a two-hour queue.

Grand Palace (fr. Grand Palais)
1 Avenue General Eisenhower, 75008 Paris, France
grandpalais.fr

Take the metro to the station Champs-Élysées – Clemenceau

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The majestic Grand Palace of Fine Arts (Le Grand Palais) adorned Winston Churchill Avenue at the very end of the 19th century. The construction of a major exhibition center in the Beaux-Art style began in 1897 and was completed in the spring of 1900 in time for the opening of the World Exhibition.

Thoughts about the beautiful and their embodiment

The beginning of the construction of the Grand Palais was preceded by a competition of architectural projects, which did not determine a single winner. By decision of the competition committee, the ideas of the architects Henri Deglane, Albert Louvet, Albert Thomas were recognized as the most interesting, and Charles Giraud was entrusted with the overall coordination of the work.

The building of the Grand Palace with a facade 240 meters long was erected on a part of the territory that was formerly occupied by the Palace of Industry, which did not meet the requirements of the time. It represents the culmination of the development of the eclectic Beaux-Arts style. Elements of classicism architecture are harmoniously combined in it with the constructions of the Art Nouveau era. The Paris Grand Palace belongs to those examples of architecture at the turn of the century, when the engineer acquires equal rights with the architect in shaping the aesthetic appearance of the building.

The impressive building with an area of ​​77 thousand m2 is located along the "republican axis" running from east to west. The large nave of the palace and the transverse paddock were designed by A. Deglan. He also owns the authorship of the colonnades along the facades, the model for which was the work of V. Lalu during the reconstruction of the Louvre.

Designed by A. Louvet, the central part of the building is covered by a magnificent dome. The weight of its metal structure and glass panels is 9 thousand tons, and the highest point of the vault is located at a height of 45 m. The west wing or Antin Palace (Palais d'Antin) was built by the architect A. Thomas. The use of a huge amount of glass in the construction of the Grand Palace allows us to call it the heir to the aesthetics of D. Paxton, who built the Crystal Palace in London in 1851.

decor art

The monumental copper sculptural compositions of Georges Rechipon are symmetrically installed on the sides of the palace portal at a height of about 40 m. Closer to the Champs Elysees is the sculptural group “Immortality Conquering Time”, and from the side of the Seine, the composition “Harmony triumphing over Discordia” is the first to be installed. The facade of the palace is also decorated with numerous bronze statues by sculptors Alexander Falgier and Victor Peter.

Many halls of the Grand Palace are decorated with mosaic drawings. The floor of the Elliptical Hall is paved with brown, beige and greenish sandstone tiles. Its pattern repeats the cardboards proposed for interior decoration by the artist Louis Gist.


Ten mosaic panels are located at a great height under the peristyle of A. Deglan. Their total area is 273 m2, and the total length of the work of art is 74 m. The plot of the mosaic paintings by Auguste and Rene Martin, created according to the sketches of Louis Fournier, was the history of great civilizations. Each episode focuses on the art of a particular region: Ancient Greece, Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, the French Middle Ages, the Italian Renaissance, India, South=East Asia, Africa, China, Japan and the Americas.

Unity in Diversity

Upon completion of the construction of the Grand Palais, as expected, it became one of the leading cultural and exhibition centers in Paris. But if its western wing is the Antin Palace, since 1937 it has been constantly occupied by the exposition of the Museum of Discoveries and Inventions, then the eastern part of the palace has been used very diversely.

Along with the organization of indispensable temporary art exhibitions, in a number of halls there were architectural workshops, a customs office, a police station, the Center for German and Slavic Studies, a regional center for cultural affairs, the Mission for Photographic Heritage, and the National Gallery in different years.


The creation in 2007 of a single center of culture and art made it possible to introduce greater rationality in the use of the palace. Now it houses the National Gallery du Grand Palais, the Palace of Discoveries, the rehearsal rooms of the Comédie Francaise theater. The large-scale reconstruction of the Grand Palace, which is coming in 2020-2023, will transform the building with more than a century of history and prepare it to host fencing and taekwondo competitions during the Paris 2024 Olympics.

It is almost impossible not to notice the Grand Palace of Fine Arts in Paris. The gigantic building with its bizarre glass roof, copper quadrigas on the pediments and a tall spire topped with a tricolor draws the eye of any traveler, wherever he is - aboard a sightseeing 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 Palace was built for the World Exhibition of 1900 and marks the end of the era of the great redevelopment of Paris - together with the Petit Palace, it closes the line stretching from the esplanade of Les 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 construction would certainly be compared with the Eiffel Tower). As a result, the authorities of Paris preferred the project of the "three musketeers" - Henri Deglane, 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 preferred to get away from the modernism of Gustave Eiffel and completed the building in the Beaux-Arts style, which involves a combination of various artistic and engineering trends - therefore, in the Grand Palace, antique bronze quadrigas on the pediments, baroque wall decor and an advanced construction of a glazed roof, 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 sq. m - even in our time, the roof of the palace is considered the largest glass roof in Europe.

The construction was difficult: the weak riverside soil could not withstand the weight of the grandiose building, it was necessary to urgently strengthen the foundation - pretty soon the budget was exceeded, and due to insufficient overtime pay, 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 just in time for the World Exhibition of 1900.

Grand Palace today

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

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 on any day except Tuesday, from 10:00 to 22:00. Hours of operation may vary on individual exhibition days. Ticket prices also vary depending on the events.

The Grand Palace in Paris enjoys unprecedented popularity - a majestic architectural structure has been standing on this site since 1892. Most often, the building is used as an exhibition hall that tells about the rich culture of France to visitors.

Paris Grand and Petit palaces what's in them

The Grand Palace in Paris is not only a cultural monument that can tell about the architecture of those difficult times. Now its premises are occupied by two most interesting museums that tell about the capital and the country in all colors.

On one side of the building is the Museum of Inventions and Innovative Findings, on the other side is an art gallery. Both there and there are constantly held original exhibitions on various topics.

The south of the building will be to the taste of our compatriots: the Russian-language branch of the Sorbonne with its own history of formation is located there. The university also welcomes tourists, so the grand pale is always full of people.

What is the Grand Palace in Paris

The Grand Palais in Paris owes its appearance to the World Exhibition held in 1990, dedicated to the great meeting of the new twentieth century, full of possible discoveries and innovative solutions.

Expert opinion

Knyazeva Victoria

Guide to Paris and France

A huge number of architects fought for the right to build it, but only three, recognized as the best of the best, won. The future building was divided into zones, entrusting each of the architects in part. Thanks to this decision, the project turned out to be harmonious, but at the same time original and interesting.

Since then, almost nothing has changed - the Grand Palais is considered the largest exhibition hall in the world.

Exhibitions at the Grand Palais in Paris

Here you can see a huge number of interesting presentations related to history, science and arts, as well as fashion, cars and even animals. It is the Grand Palace in Paris that serves as the venue for the annual Chanel fashion show.

Picasso Museum

Grand Palace opening hours

To visit the palaces of Paris at the right time, you need to know when they are open. No tourist wants to stand in front of a closed door or get into rush hour, especially if his time is limited.

You can visit the attraction from Wednesday to Friday, from 9 am to 10 pm. But keep in mind: the Grand and Petit Palace in Paris work only on local time.

Sometimes this schedule changes. This usually happens during special exhibitions. In this case, the opening hours should be checked with the organizer on an individual basis.

Grand Palace in Paris official website

To find out how the palaces of Paris work and understand what exhibitions are being held in it in the near future, just visit the official website of the building (www.grandpalais.fr).

It tells how to find a building without going around all of Paris, what is planned in the near future and how much it costs to visit a particular exhibition.

Petit Palace Museum of Paris

The Grand and Petit Palaces in Paris were built almost simultaneously, so the small counterpart of the main building also has its own rich history. It is worth visiting it just for the sake of its beautiful design - the facade of the building looks original and unusual.

Catacombs of Paris

Like any other building, the Petit Palais is also rich in interesting expositions. Here you can find the whole history of art.

Petit Palace in Paris exposition

Now there are no permanent exhibitions there, as in the big one, but there is still something to see in Petit Pal. It is rich in fashion and paintings written by great painters in different times.

The Grand Palais of Paris was built for the 1900 World's Fair. The building immediately became famous for its huge glass roof. The building now houses a science museum. In 1900, Paris solemnly hosted the World Exhibition. Due to the high importance of the event, the city planned a large construction, including the construction of the bridge of Alexander III, the Grand Palace and the similar Small Palace.

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 famous Frenchman Charles Giraud, who received carte blanche to create the Small Palace, played a key role. The structure 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 Palais Belle Epoque has a steel frame of 9,400 tons, 15,000 square meters of glass, and a zinc galvanized iron roof of about 5,000 square meters. The stone interior is adorned with gorgeous, colorful mosaics and intricate sculptures.


When one of the glass ceiling cells of the Grand Palace collapsed in 1993, the building was closed for a decade of renovation. The first phase of the renovation was completed in 2004, and the remainder opened in 2007. The renovation included metal frame repair, glass replacement, and roof restoration. Some of the masterpieces of art have also been renovated, including the horse sculptures by Georges Recipon that crown the corners of the palace. The mosaics have also been completely restored and restored.


For a century, the Grand Palace has been a public exhibition hall and venue for many important events. And although the main gallery is now completely devoted to contemporary art, the palace hosts many interesting exhibitions - from demonstrations of vintage cars to fashion shows from leading designers in Paris.





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