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The magnificent Palais de Salm, home to a museum that goes back in time to evoke the knightly orders of the Middle Ages
The museum's collections are housed in the magnificent Palais de Salm. It was built in the 1780s for the German Prince Frederick III of Salm Kyrbourg. It was acquired by the Légion d'Honneur in 1804, which administers the national awards Légion d'Honneur (1802), Médaille Militaire (1852) and Ordre National du Mérite (1963). The museum, which recalls all this, goes back in time to evoke the chivalric and religious orders of the Middle Ages, as well as the royal orders. A room is also devoted to foreign orders, such as the Garter (United Kingdom).
The 1870s-style decor has long been criticized for being too gilded, too heavy, overloaded with symbols and large-scale pictorial compositions by Jean-Paul Laurens and Adolphe Yvon, painters reviled for their academicism. In an unfortunate attempt at modernism, the entire building was once whitewashed and glazed with totally banal glass. Then, restoring them to their original condition became a necessity. Since the extensive restoration work carried out in 2010, a blend of solemnity and 19th-century aesthetics has once again permeated the palace's salons, which open onto the Seine and the Louvre. Today, the museum houses 5,000 objects d'art and decorations, divided between five areas, including the Salle des ordres royaux and, of course, the Salle de la Légion d'honneur. One thing's for sure: this museum is far more surprising than it looks.
Did you know? This review was written by our professional authors.
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