I didn't take pictures at any other museum but the Musee de l'Armee. Mainly because I didn't know what I was looking at, can't read French, and I just wasn't that interested. Because of all that, I will first talk about the Musee de l'Armee, include some picture, then give a little brief information about the other museums.
Musee de l'Armee is one of the most comprehensive museums of military history in the world, with exhibits ranging from the Stone Age tot the final days of World War II. The museum is housed in galleries occupying two of the former four refectories on either side of the magnificent courtyard of the 17th-century Hotel des Invalides. There are tons of banners dating from the 1619 to 1945, including Napoleon's flag of farewell that was flown at Fontainebleau in 1814, after his first abdication. The Restoration gallery on the second floor of the same wing recalls the emperor's imprisonment on Elba; the Hundred Days; Waterloo; and his final exile on St. Helena, movingly represented by the reconstruction of the room where Napoleon died in 1821. On the west side, the Oriental gallery has a rich display of arms and armor from China, Japan, India and Turkey; the Pauillac gallery has Renaissance swords and daggers; and the Arsenal has suits of armor, 1000 helmets, and hundreds of spears, swords and firearms.
Because I can't read French, I am not sure what these pictures are of, but I found them interesting and neat to look at. Its obvious that they are weapons of military suits of some kind, but that's about all I know. I do have more pictures than this, but these were my favorite.
Along the entire outside of the building where sculptures of armor. Below is a close-up of one of those armor sculptures.
The Napoleon statue outside in the Cour d' Honneur. The Cour d'Honneur is still used for military parades. This sculpture of Napoleon is known as the Little Corporal.
Old guns. Very cool. Hundred of guns, swords, weapons of all types everywhere!
My favorite cannon there. Look at all that detail, on a cannon.
The Armor room. Ok, not sure what it's really called, but that's what I call it. Tons of old armor suits where in this wing. 
Old cannons of different eras lined up against the wall. This walk way is outside and leads to the different museums. St Louis des Invalides, also known as the "soldiers' church," this is the chapel of the Hotel des Invalides. It was built from 1679 to 1708 by Jules Hardouin-Mansart from the original designs by Liberal Bruand, architect of the Hotel des Invalides. The imposing, but stark, interior is decorated with banners seized in battle. The first performance of Berlioz's Requiem was given on it in 1837, with an orchestra accompanies by a battery of outside artillery.
Musee de l'Ordre de la Liberation is devoted to the wartime Free French and their leader, General Charles de Gaulle. The Order of Liberation was created by de Gaulle at Brazzaville in 1940 to honor those who made an outstanding contribution to the final victory of the Allies in World War II. It is France's highest honor. The champions who received the honor were French civilians and members of the armed forces, plus leaders including King George VI, Winston Churchhill and General Dwight Eisenhower.
Musee des Plans Reliefs has detailed models of French forts and fortified towns, some dating back to Louis XIV's reign, and where considered top secret until the 1950s, when they were put on public display. The oldest model is that of Perpignan dating to 1686.
1 comment:
looks very interesting
Post a Comment