One of many highlights of Open Home Weekend in Paris, and effectively value queueing for, is the Luxembourg Palace, house to the Senate and a frankly gorgeous constructing, located tremendous near our lodges.
Try the pictures of our go to!
Floor was first damaged for the Senate constructing in 1615 by the Queen of France, Marie de’ Medici, and over the ages it has been a royal house, a jail for revolutionaries and (loads later – 1879) the office of France’s 348 senators, because it nonetheless is right this moment.
The Senate’s job is to look at the legal guidelines proposed by the federal government, oversee its actions and symbolize the folks of the areas of France (in addition to French residents dwelling overseas).
Throughout our go to, we discovered that solely 37% of senators are girls 😕, and the common of a senator is 61 years outdated. For such an enormous, richly-decorated constructing, we had been stunned to learn that the price of the Senate is simply 5€ per inhabitant of France per yr.
You possibly can study extra in regards to the establishment and its historical past from the doc under…
Our go to began by coming into the constructing from the Luxembourg Backyard, which is managed by the Senate, and after one grand stone staircase (we’ll see extra later), the primary few rooms are comparatively small and pretty sparsely adorned with just a few furnishings, work and tapestries…
Amusingly, this final portray ⬆️ depicts the following room we’re to see – the ‘Golden e-book’ room – not enormous however with gold leaf in every single place not already taken up by a portray or mirror.
What’s much more extraordinary is that each a part of the room was truly elsewhere within the palace (in Marie de’ Medici’s quarters), and was moved right here later.
There’s a video presentation of the room which you can watch right here.
We subsequent go by way of a few extra fashionable (and relatively much less fascinating) workplaces, then by way of the principle monumental courtyard to reach in an extended, thinnish room as soon as once more completely coated in work and gold…
And after climbing a stone staircase with a beautiful painted ceiling a few flooring up, we arrive in a single essentially the most spectacular rooms thus far – the library annex. Not unhealthy for a ‘easy’ annex!
However there was lots left to see!
After passing by way of one other room with a painted ceiling, an opulent lobby and a few very excessive doorways, we arrived within the Convention room, an enormous area measuring 57 metres by 10 metres, with a ceiling 11m excessive, 650m² of purple carpet, painted ceilings, sculptures, mirror, giant home windows, work…
Versailles, eat your coronary heart out!
And the logical follow-up to this splendour is the debating room- the hemicycle – simply subsequent door, one thing that many individuals have seen on TV information with out actually greedy the vastness of the area.
This room was partially destroyed by fireplace in 1859, and was enlarged in 1879 when a second flooring was added as a way to seat a further 500 spectators.
A PDF in French right here provides extra information about this key place in France’s democratic course of.
Subsequent, we arrived within the Senate’s precise library (not the annex) that overlooks the Luxembourg Backyard. If if it seems much less opulent than the annex, the size and sheer variety of books are fairly unbelievable.
And the go to isn’t over but! We exit one constructing to enter one other wing of the constructing, the place extra pretty rooms await, with views onto a backyard that’s hidden from the outside, reception rooms, a chapel and the massive monumental staircase.
In spite of everything these, the go to is lastly over, and we exit into the Luxembourg Backyard.
What an expertise!
If you need to go to the Senate, the best manner is to be in Paris for Open Home weekend, which is often the third weekend of September every year.
We consider it’s a spot everybody ought to see as soon as of their lifetime. Why not e-book a room in one in all our lodges for September. When you do you’ll be simply steps away 😃
And naturally, to admire the constructing from the skin and admire the attractive flowers, a easy journey to the Luxembourg Backyard is a superb begin!
The Senate (right here) is open for Open Home Weekend which is usually the third weekend of September
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