LE PALAIS DE CHAILLOT

The Palais de Chaillot, home to the Musée de l'Homme, the Musée de la Marine, the Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine and the Théâtre national de Chaillot, is one of the capital's most imposing monuments. Located on the ancient hill of Chaillot, it is the successor to the Palais du Trocadéro, built for the 1878 Universal Exhibition and later used for the 1889 and 1900 Universal Exhibitions. The 1930s sounded the death knell with plans for a new building for the 1937 Universal Exhibition. The ^19th-century building was replaced by the current Palais de Chaillot, designed by Carlu, Boileau and Azéma. It was at this time that the famous esplanade was created. Designed to face the Eiffel Tower (which didn't appear until 1889), it was framed by two pavilions extended by long curved wings. A new theater was also built beneath the forecourt. The neoclassical complex, with its 41,000 m² of floor space, two huge pavilions and two wings surrounding the esplanade, now known as the "Esplanade des droits de l'homme" ("Parvis des libertés" until May 30, 1985), was an impressive sight. The complex was also flanked by a vast green space offering magnificent views of the Eiffel Tower and Champ de Mars. In the center, the 1937 Warsaw Fountain, with its 20 water cannons, and several sculptures such as Lejeune's "Flore" and Bacqué's "La Femme". Statuary also adorns the entire monument, with works by Drivier, Delamarre and Sarrabezolles... The exterior walls feature sculpted paintings. The west wing (on the Musée de l'Homme side) evokes continents and navigation, while the east wing features iconography linked to sculpture and architecture. Don't miss the bronzes by Bouchard and Pommier in front of the two pavilions. While the 1937 Art Deco theater is devoted to the arts, it was also the site of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, signed on December 10, 1948. It was also the birthplace of the Théâtre National Populaire, founded in 1920 by Gémier, an initiative that made quality theater accessible to the widest possible audience. The Palais was criticized, however, particularly in the post-war period, as its architecture was seen by some as evocative of totalitarianism, an opinion supported by the photographs taken by Hitler when he visited the building in 1940. After the war, however, the Palace became the first headquarters of the United Nations (created in 1946) and, until 1959, of NATO.