In the center of Petit Palais there is a wonderful, cozy cafe "Le Jardin Du Petit Palais", where it is pleasant to sit in silence away from the bustle of the big city. The refined atmosphere is conducive to relaxation - exotic plants, columns, and a mosaic pattern is present even on dishes. The cost of the meal of the day with dessert is 15.90 euros.

The institution 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 tasting of honey collected directly on the territory of the palace. It is open during Pale's opening hours.

Opening hours and cost of visits to the Palaces

Although the Great and Small Palaces stand side by side, looking at each other, their opening hours are different.

Opening hours of the Grand Palace:

• The Grand Palace receives 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 Palaces

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

For your information: there is a wonderful tradition in Paris - to declare a "night of museums". This means that any museum in the capital works free of charge after 18:00 until midnight.

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

Location and how to get to the Big and Small palaces

Walking through the expensive boutiques on the Champs Elysees, looking into legendary bars, admiring the sights or walking along the Pont Alexandre III, it is difficult not to notice two magnificent buildings resembling boxes, where the most valuable treasures are usually kept.

The Grand Palace in Paris and its permanent neighbor, the Small Palace, took pride of place south of Chanz Elise, located between the central street of the capital and the Place de la Concorde, where the Luxor obelisk of Pharaoh Ramses II, presented to the city by the Egyptian ruler Mehmet Ali in 1831, stands proudly.

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

If you prefer to plan the route yourself, you will have to resort to the services.

Big and Small Palace on the map

Contact Information

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

Grand Palais in Paris (Video)

Big and Small Palaces (Photo)

Photogallery of the Grand Palais in Paris

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Large and Small Palace in Paris

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

With 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 for the creation of the Small Palace. The structure is a magnificent combination of a classic stone façade, glass and Art Nouveau iron.


The Grand Palais in Paris is to this day the largest building made of glass and iron. His closest rival was the Crystal Palace in London, which was destroyed by a terrible fire. The Great Belle Époque Palace has a steel frame weighing 9,400 tons, 15,000 square meters of glass, and a zinc galvanized iron roof with an area of ​​about 5,000 square meters. The stone interiors are adorned with gorgeous colorful mosaics and intricate sculptures.


When one of the cells of the Grand Palace's glass ceiling 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 was opened in 2007. The renovation included the repair of the metal frame, glass replacement and the restoration of the roof. Some of the masterpieces of art have also been revamped, including the horse sculptures by Georges Resipon that crown the corners of the palace. The mosaics have also been completely restored and restored.


For over a century, the Grand Palace has been a public exhibition hall and host of many important events. And although the main gallery is now fully dedicated 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 Science and Technology Museum is on Franklin Roosevelt Avenue, the Grand Palais National Gallery (main exhibition hall) is accessible from Place Clemenceau, and the entrance to the Neuf Grand Palais is open from the avenue Winston Churchill directly opposite the Little Palace.

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

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

The construction went on with difficulty. The soil could not withstand the weight of the building, 3400 oak piles were needed, because of this, the estimate was greatly exceeded. A gigantic amount of stone, steel, rubble, bricks, machinery and hands was required. One and a half thousand builders also created problems - strikes broke out.

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

From the very beginning, the Palace has become a venue for exhibitions - dedicated to innovation and technology and, of course, art. It was here that Matisse and Gauguin received recognition, it was here that Cubism, led by an unknown Picasso, first declared 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 chambers or made molds for prostheses. During the occupation, the palace was used for holding Nazi propaganda exhibitions, and during the liberation of Paris - as the headquarters of the Resistance.

Today, the Grand Palais is still an art center. Exhibitions, fashion parades (the Chanel fashion house holds its shows here), car dealerships, horse shows, book fairs, live concerts, the World Fencing Championship - it is difficult to list all the events that take place under the glass roof of the Grand Palace of Fine Arts.

The Grand Palais (French Grand Palais) in Paris is located to the left of the central street of the French capital - the Champs Elysees, in the 8th arrondissement of the city. Its majestic architectural appearance in the eclectic Beauz-art style is able to impress even the seasoned connoisseurs of art and antiquity. It is a major cultural and exhibition center.

To the glory of French art

From April 15 to November 12, 1900, the World's Fair was held in Paris, which was attended by more than 50 million people - a number that remains a record today. For its opening, timed to coincide with the meeting of the new, XX century, it was decided to build a palace. It was planned that it will be one of the sites of the epoch-making exhibition event.

To implement the project, it was necessary to "move" the Palace of Industry that stood here, that is, to disassemble it and free up space. In 1897, the construction of this facility started. And in 1900, before the eyes of the Parisians and guests of the city on the Seine, he appeared, the Grand Palais, shaking every imagination with his appearance. On one of its gables you can see a pompous inscription that the Republic dedicated this building to the glory of French art.

The Grand Palace was rapidly gaining fame as a serious cultural center. Almost all official cultural events in the capital began to be held here. As for the World Exhibition itself, thanks to it, Paris acquired several more attractions: the Eiffel Tower, the Orsay train station (now a museum), the Alexander III bridge.

When the Grand Palace and other objects specially built for that grandiose exhibition (we named them above) were commissioned, many skeptics predicted a short-lived fate for them. But they still stand today, being among the most important symbols of the capital of France. In 1925, the Grand Palais became the site for another World Exhibition - Contemporary Industrial and Decorative Arts.

Architectural features of the Grand Palais

The full name of the object, adopted then: The Great Palace of Fine Arts. The entrances to it from the northeast and southeast are crowned with two copper quadrigues by Georges Resipon. Each artistic image contains its own allegory. The first - the one on the side of the Champs Elysees - symbolizes the Immortality ahead of time. The other, from the side of the Seine, personify Harmony, triumphing over discord. The roof of the building also attracts attention: it is not quite ordinary, it is glass. It is illuminated by hundreds of lights at night - an incredibly beautiful sight!

The architecture of the Grand Palais attracts attention and contrasts - a strict 240-meter facade and decorated in the Art Nouveau style, which, however, harmoniously combine with each other. And next to the Grand Palace is his "younger brother" - the Small Palace (fr. Petit Palais). Although in age they are the same age: Petit-Palais was also erected for the World Exhibition at the beginning of the last century. The palaces are divided by the Place Clemenceau, named after the Prime Minister of France during the First World War, Georges Benjamin Clemenceau.

The Grand Palace: Today's Present

Today there are two museums in the palace. The northern wing houses the Art Gallery, and the western wing houses the Museum of Discoveries and Inventions. The latter appeared in 1937, when the next world exhibition was held in Paris. It was originally conceived as a Museum of Science, as opposed to the Museum of Arts and Crafts, which had a technical focus. Since about the 70s of the last century, the lines between them began to gradually blur. Now everything has come down to the fact that Parisian students can see within its walls the practical embodiment of the theoretical calculations taught by him at school.

The art gallery does not have its own permanent exhibition. However, its territory is a venue for various artistic and cultural events. And most high level: for example, the Chanel Fashion House holds its shows here every year. If you ask any artist or sculptor from any country in the world, he will surely tell you that exhibiting your work here means achieving a high level of recognition for your work.

Avenue Winston Churchill 75008, Paris
www.grandpalais.fr

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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. Construction of a large exhibition center in the Bose Art style began in 1897 and was completed in the spring of 1900 for the opening of the World Exhibition.

Thoughts of beauty and their embodiment

The start of the construction of the Grand Palais was preceded by a competition of architectural projects, which did not determine the only winner. According to the decision of the competition committee, the most interesting were the ideas of architects Henri Deglan, Albert Louvet, Albert Thom, and the overall coordination of the work was entrusted to Charles Giraud.

The building of the Grand Palace with a 240 m long facade was erected on a part of the territory that was previously occupied by the inadequate Palace of Industry. It represents the culmination of the development of the eclectic Beaux-Arts style. Elements of the architecture of classicism are harmoniously combined with the constructions of the Art Nouveau era. The Parisian Grand Palace belongs to those examples of architecture at the turn of the century, when an engineer acquires equal rights with an architect in shaping the aesthetic appearance of a building.

An imposing 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, a model for which was the work of V. Laloux during the reconstruction of the Louvre.

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

Decor art

Georges Recipon's monumental copper sculptural compositions 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 Seine side, the first is the composition "Harmony Triumphant over Discordia." The facade of the palace is also decorated with numerous bronze statues by sculptors Alexandre 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 on high altitude under the peristyle of A. Deglan. Their total area is 273 m2, and the total length of the piece of art is 74 m. The story of great civilizations became the plot of the mosaic paintings by Auguste and Rene Martin, created according to the sketches of Louis Fournier. Each episode is dedicated to the art of a particular region: ancient Greece, Mesopotamia, Ancient egypt, French Middle Ages, Italian Renaissance, India, Southeast Asia, Africa, China, Japan and both Americas.

Unity in diversity

Upon completion of the construction, the Grand Palais, as expected, 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 East End the palace was used in a wide variety of ways.

Along with the organization of permanent temporary art exhibitions in a number of rooms, there were architectural workshops, customs, a police station, the Center for Germanic and Slavic Studies, the Regional Center for Cultural Affairs, the Mission for Photographic Heritage, and the National Gallery.


The creation in 2007 of a single center for 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 Discovery, the rehearsal rooms of the Comédie-Française 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 for the fencing and taekwondo competitions during the Paris Olympics 2024.