As both a means of filling my blog and a way of exploring the various, ‘less popular’ museums of Paris, I will review some of the museums I have visited so far during the trip. The locations I will explore will be locales not seen by the greater MICEFA group.
I will be judging the museums based on my own criteria. Overall, what matters most is how the museum balances visitor comfort with digestible information and proper preservation of any displayed objects
Grande Galerie de l’Evolution
Within the Jardin des Plantes is a collection of facilities dedicated to preserving and showcasing the natural arts, ranging from botany, to paleontology, to geology. The largest museum is the Galerie de l’Evolution or Gallery of Evolution, dedicated to the animal kingdom. Inside are thousands of natural specimens displayed, majority of which are taxidermy animals, alongside other preserved animals, plants, and other miscellaneous creatures. The museum is focused on the exploration and display of the animal world through educative exhibits for visitors and constantly expanding collections.
The museum is four floors, each being the interior edge based around an open-esque central hall. In this center hall is the most well-known attraction of the museum: a parade of African animals, preserved in lifelike poses, march down the central hall. These central animals are displayed openly, with minimal protection, adding to their lifelike appearance and mannerisms. Alongside these African animals are many more examples of taxidermy and other specimens, scattered throughout the museum.
The exhibits of the museum focus on various aspects of the existence of animals including, different branches of classification, domestication, adaptation, and more. These exhibits are supported with smaller examples, most behind glass, interactive displays, or larger taxidermy specimens.
The museum lacks a single-line approach to exploring the premises; a visitor would likely migrate upward through the museum but it lacks a specific order of approach. The gallery largely aims for a wide-ranging audience, with the taxidermy especially proving popular with both older audiences and especially younger audiences. One large issue I had was the museum lacked any form of accessibility towards other languages, with the entirety of the museum using only French.
My personal favorite area of the museum is a unique exhibit showcased in a separate hall from the main gallery. Secluded at the side of the museum is The Room of Endangered and Extinct Species. This exhibit is dim and quiet and has a solemn atmosphere compared to the rest of the museum (though this was interrupted by a new VR experience offered when I visited). The exhibit itself is dedicated to the extinct and endangered, showcasing specimens from species facing or having faced extinction.
The museum is a moderate-length experience; even with language difficulties, it took me around 1 1/2 hours to fully experience the museum.
Musée de la Liberation de Paris – Musee du general Leclerc – Musee Jean Moulin
This museum, simply known as the Museum of the Liberation of Paris, is located across the entrance of the Paris catacombs. The museum is a small, historical museum based on the liberation of the city of Paris near the close of the Second World War.
The museum lacks the pomp and circumstance most other larger museums exhibit, lacking any specifically noteworthy artifacts; the main attraction and reason for the museum at the location is a bunker utilized by the French resistance during the liberation located beneath the museum. The museum is fairly short and is free, unless one wants to visit the said bunker underneath or the special exhibit.
The exhibits follow the chronological journey of Paris and France during the Second World War, beginning with the invasion and occupation of Paris and climaxing with the liberation of Paris. This is done through the use and display of personal objects and stories, focusing intensely on the human impact of the occupation and battle. Specific focus is drawn on several important French figures, General LeClerc, Jean Moulin, De Gaulle, and Petain, and how they impact and change throughout the war. These stories are supplemented with civilian accounts from the war, whose fates are not revealed until the end of the museum.
Given the name and location of the museum, particular interest is drawn to the actual liberation of Paris and the resistance groups active throughout the war. Objects displayed are used primarily as supplementary materials, such as weapons, uniforms, newspapers, etc. Most of the exhibits use primary sources to support the exhibit using audio recordings, letters, or video documentation.
The bunker below, which was actively used due to the liberation efforts, is understandably cramped and emptied, though nothing if not interesting to walk through. The museum is fully accessible to most audiences, with most signage provided in multiple languages and an elevator active even down to the bunker.
Despite the small size of the museum and exhibits, it covers the leadup and actual liberation comprehensively. The chronological approach makes both the historical events and personal accounts of important figures easy to follow. The museum, including the bunker and special exhibit, took around 1 1/2 hours to fully complete.
Musee de l’Armee
Located at Les Invalides are the Musee de l’Armee and Napoleon’s Tomb, two attractions dedicated to memorizing France’s military history. The museum is fairly large; the rotunda tomb is massive and the museum itself is divided into three large sections: roughly Ancient and Medieval, the Napoleonic Era, and the World Wars.
The tomb is ornately crafted and massive in scale. The centerpiece of the building is Napoleon’s own tomb, flanked by sculptures and carvings memorializing him and his achievements. The tomb also contains the bodies of other prominent French military figures.
The museum itself covers the exhaustive history of France and war, containing thousands of artifacts, ranging from weaponry, to armor, to paintings and models. The first section covers medieval France and showcases plentiful suits of armor, oriental arms and armor, swords, cannons, and more. Of interest are the many origins and ornate details of the armor.
Given France’s near inability to not be involved in a war during the 18th and 19th centuries, the second section is the largest and is near overwhelming. The sheer number of conflicts, battles, and artifacts displayed here makes it difficult to fully follow. Naturally, Napoleon and his crusades are given special attention. The third section covers the world wars, and are allowed to explore the conflicts more fully than the previous section.
The museum utilizes a chronological approach, with a fairly linear path through each section, winding its way through France’s history. The museum is large in both scope and scale, displaying hundreds of uniforms and suits of armor, along with historical accounts, informational plaques, and primary documentation sources. Given the large scope and size of France’s military endeavors, not much focus is given to each conflict individually (aside from the Second World War), rather, the exhibits focus on the evolution of the armed forces, main battles, and the efforts of each war.
The museum is fully accessible with an elevator, info in multiple languages, and braille displays. The tomb lacks any of these amenities but does not necessarily require them. The museums, if fully explored, can take upwards of 3 to 4 hours to fully experience, though the separation of each section and linear exhibits allow the visitor to pick and choose their main interest.
Musee de la Chasse et de la Nature
Another natural history museum, the Museum of Hunting and Nature focuses on the relationship between man and nature, and how this relationship is explored between hunting and game. The museum has two floors of exhibits: the first covers specific aspects of hunting, while the second explores random, more bizarre topics.
The first floor and primary exhibits are those dedicated to specific aspects and animals of hunting. These exhibits, divided into the original rooms of the building, come in two mains type: the first type of room focuses on an animal-related aspect of hunting, like a type of game, like wild boar or deer, a human companion, like birds of prey or dog, or weaponry. The second type is those that display the spoils of the hunt, showcasing game trophies and art.
Interspersed through these main exhibits are miscellaneous pieces of street artwork, taxidermied animals resting on the furniture, and other bizarre focuses. The second exhibit floor plays similarly into this idea, focusing on stranger themes like nature dioramas, an evolution room, or a tick room, each showing these seemingly quaint themes with weird art choices or imagery.
The museum acts more as an open art museum than a direct museum; there is no clear path through the exhibits and there are no informational tags for any displayed object, with the only info offered in the forming of movable boards at the entrance of each room. The clipboards offer a general overview of the room’s theme and related history and come in several languages.
The museum is fairly small; even with me taking my time in each room, the museum took only around 1 hour to fully experience.
Overview
The goal of this post is not to directly rate the museums I have visited, but rather to expose a general overview of the museum and its exhibits. I will likely make another of these posts if I visit more museums in Paris.