Le Grand Palais in Paris was built between 1896 and 1900 as part of the Universal Exposition of 1900. It's undergone numerous renovations since then. One of the most spectacular was the renovation of the glass roof that you see in this photo. I remember from my first time in Paris that the roof was grey, and the glass never seemed clear. Now it gleams, especially in bright sunlight.
I've never set foot inside the "nave" under the glass, although I did go to one exhibit in another part of the building, and I spent many hours in the west wing's Palais de la Découverte, a science museum with a planetarium. According to Wikipedia, the Grand Palais and the Palais de la Découverte are currently closed, undergoing a few years of further renovations.
Across the street from the Grand Palais is the Petit Palais which is a museum, built at the same time for the Exposition Universelle of 1900.
ReplyDeleteJust like you, I spent many a day in the Palais de la Découverte which was created for the Exposition of 1937.
I would love to know the cleaning process and schedule for that elaborate glass roof.
ReplyDeleteYour photo captures a wonderful vista. Feels like Notre Dame and the Pantheon are not all that far from the Grand Palais. Tom Cruise once parachuted onto the glass ceiling of the Grand Palais! Great scene in Mission Impossible: Fallout. While the Grand Palais is under construction at present, events are being held in an impressive temporary structure erected at the base of the Champs de Mars. They call it the Grand Palais Ephemère.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kiwi, for telling me about le Grand Palais Éphémère. I didn’t know about it. It is constructed where stood the famous Galerie des Machines of the Exposition Universelle de 1889. Not far from where the Grande Roue was, which is now the new “incarnation” of the Village Suisse, built for the Exposition Universelle de 1900.
DeleteLast trip, we really wanted to get inside to see the iron-and-glass domed section of Le Grand Palais, but it wasn't available for entry (I think they were having a Rodin exhibit in the other part, that summer, that we went to...in very boring rooms). Doug was sorely disappointed at not getting to see the iron and glass structure.
ReplyDeleteWith a magnifying glass, you can see the top of two of the four pylônes of the Pont Alexandre III.
ReplyDeletelovely !
ReplyDelete