Napoleon and Paris, dreams of a capital
The Musée Carnavalet is holding an exhibition on the relationship between Napoleon Bonaparte and Paris. Paris, then home to 600,000 citizens, was the centre of political, diplomatic and social life of the First Empire. Bonaparte's vision for the city set the ball rolling for the great transformation it would undergo in the Third Empire. The exhibition looks at Napoleon's legacy to Paris (monuments such as the column of the Place Vendôme and grand urbanisation projects), as well as the ways in which the city shaped the Emperor himself.
The Fondation Napoléon is a partner of the exhibition and has lent several items from its own collection, including drawings by Fontaine, plates of the Emperor's special service, the dress and train worn by Mme Bérenger for Napoleon's coronation, and a bolt from the Tuileries Palace.
Here is the Musée Carnavalet's presentation of the exhibition (in English).
For more information and details of opening hours, see the museum website.
And here is our interview with Thierry Sarmant, the deputy director of the Carnavalet Museum and co-curator of “Napoléon et Paris, rêves d'une capitale”.
Langue(s) : French