Paris may be one of the top modern cities of the world, but it has its roots centuries back when it was starting to establish its reach in the surrounding regions. Most of Paris has transformed, but some of its historical legacy is preserved in many of its museums. Below are some of the top archaeological museums that you can visit after your Musee d’Orsay tour.
Musée d’Art Et d’Histoire Du Judaïsme
This is the museum dedicated to Judaism and it has been lodged in one of the most stunning mansions of the city. The museum resulted from a 1948 association that vowed to safeguard the Jewish legacy. You can avail an English audio book to help you understand and navigate through the displays that showcase various rites, ceremonies, and learning. It explains how Jewish art was adopted throughout the globe. There are also intriguing works such as paintings and narrations by French Jews about their life experiences.
Musée Des Arts Et Métiers
This is Europe’s oldest science museum and was founded in the year 1794 by Bishop Henri Grégoire. It was established with an intention of educating France’s manufacturing industry with great scientific techniques. The museum is located in St-Martin-des-Champs and was converted to a museum properly in 1819. There is an enviable collection treasure along the interior such as celestial spheres, clocks, weighing devices, barometers, and beautiful astrolabes.
There are also many fascinating objects such as Pascal’s calculating devices and scaled models of buildings and machines of the past. The Lumière brothers’ cinematography, Cugnot’s 1770 ‘Fardier’ (the first ever powered vehicle), and a large 1938 TV set are the other attractions here.
The Louvre
This is not only the largest museum in the world, but also the most visited one. It is a world of galleries inside the museum, and there are several levels of artistic displays here that make the Louvre resemble a maze. Passageways, escalators, staircases, and galleries fill the interior, and some of the most iconic works of art are interspersed among them. Since the art world is full of changes, the world inside the museum also changes on a daily basis.
With a focus on the importance of culture, the Louvre Museum displays around 35,000 works of art and artifacts. These are divided into eight departments, and spread over three wings. There are separate galleries devoted to Etruscans, Romans, Egyptians, and Greeks, while Middle Eastern and Islamic art also have exclusive galleries.
Once you have finished your round up of the museum, you can head to the bottom of the pyramid to the Grand Louvre restaurant to rejuvenate yourself with some good food.
Musée National Du Moyen Age – Thermes De Cluny
The national museum of medieval art is yet another place to get a good insight into the history and important collections of art. Most importantly, the place is known for the Allegorical Lady. There are elaborate collections of medieval enamels and sculptures in the museum too.
The construction itself is an ideal example of 15th Century secular Gothic architecture with its hexagonal staircases out of the façade, Gothic doorways, and the vaulted chapel. The building was constructed from 1485 to 1498 on top of the Gallo Roman bath complex. The hypocaust heating system is still visible today. The most recently installed artworks include illuminated manuscript L’Ascension du Christ from the Abbey of Cluny from the 12th Century and Assomption de la Vierge by Adrien Isenbrant of Bruges from the 16th Century.
Muséum National D’histoire Naturelle
The Natural History Museum’s Grande Galerie de l’Evolution is a section that is a bit peculiar compared to other sections. There are several stuffed animals waling the place and is a great place to take your kids on a tour. There are sections like vanished and endangered and children can gather a lot of information about the type of creatures that walked the Earth. Further, the Jardin des Plantes complex has a small Ménagerie zoo, and the Galerie de Minéralogie et de Géologie contains crystals and meteorites.
La Conciergerie
The building resembles a medieval fortress and was installed in 13th Century. The place also saw the imprisonment of Robespierre, Danton, and Marie-Antoinette. There are several surviving constructions from the 13th Century such as Bonbec tower and the century twin towers. You also get to see the Salle des Gens d’Armes, which is a Gothic hall from the 12th Century as well as the private cells with individual furniture.
Musée National De La Marine
Take a brief walk through the history of the French navy that could be traced back to 400 years. The main attractions include a 19th Century sailing vessel named the Ocean. It is equipped with an impressive 120 cannons. There are also some larger-than-life figureheads like leaping seahorses and serene-faced angels, and barge built for Napoleon. Apart from these, there are several model boats and old-fashioned divers’ suits on display here as well.