Presentation
Built for the Universal Exhibition in 1900, the Grand Palais spans an area of 775,000 square feet in the form of an 'H'. Listed as a historic monument, it is recognisable from a distance thanks to its glass roof, the biggest in Europe. The building is managed by EPGPCE, a public body also responsible for programming the events in its main interior space, the Nave. Other facilities housed in the building include the Galeries nationales, managed by the French museum board (Réunion des musées nationaux), and the Palais de la Découverte, an interactive science museum.
The communicative passion expressed by Recipon's quadrigas brings a dynamic to the Grand Palais © Coll. Grand Palais, cliché François Tomasi
Key figures
The French flag flying on the roofs of the Grand Palais. © Coll. Grand Palais, cliché François Tomasi
The Grand Palais was built in 3 years, from 1897 to 1900
Workforce on the construction site in 1900 at its peak: 1,500
The flag flown over the building measures 4 x 6 m
Facade perimeter: 1 km
Total metal weight for the entire Grand Palais: 8,500 metric tons
Weight of steel in the Nave: 6,000 metric tons
Weight of the "mignonette green" paint inside the Nave: 60 metric tons
Total stone weight: 200,000 metric tons
Working area: 72,000 m2
Nave floor space: 13 500 m2
Nave length: 200 m
Height: 45 m under the dome.
Workforce on the construction site in 1900 at its peak: 1,500
The flag flown over the building measures 4 x 6 m
Facade perimeter: 1 km
Total metal weight for the entire Grand Palais: 8,500 metric tons
Weight of steel in the Nave: 6,000 metric tons
Weight of the "mignonette green" paint inside the Nave: 60 metric tons
Total stone weight: 200,000 metric tons
Working area: 72,000 m2
Nave floor space: 13 500 m2
Nave length: 200 m
Height: 45 m under the dome.
A building with so much to discover
Though the Nave is emblematic of the Grand Palais, the building is in fact a complex which also includes the Palais d'Antin, home to the Palais de la Découverte science museum, and the Galeries nationales, with its art collections managed by the Réunion des musées Nationaux.
Designed in 1937 initially for the purposes of a temporary exhibition, the Palais de la Découverte has for 70 years fulfilled its initiatory role in the popularisation of scientific knowledge.
The Galeries nationales were developed in 1962. André Malraux, then the French Minister of State for Cultural Affairs, was looking for a venue for major temporary exhibitions of international stature. He decided to earmark part of the Grand Palais, subsequently to become the Galeries nationales, for this purpose. Programming is the responsibility of the Réunion des musées nationaux.
The Grand Palais also has a restaurant, the central police station of the 8th district of Paris, two rehearsal rooms occupied by the Comédie Française until summer 2009, the troops of the Garde républicaine, while an international press centre is due to open in September 2008.
Designed in 1937 initially for the purposes of a temporary exhibition, the Palais de la Découverte has for 70 years fulfilled its initiatory role in the popularisation of scientific knowledge.
The Galeries nationales were developed in 1962. André Malraux, then the French Minister of State for Cultural Affairs, was looking for a venue for major temporary exhibitions of international stature. He decided to earmark part of the Grand Palais, subsequently to become the Galeries nationales, for this purpose. Programming is the responsibility of the Réunion des musées nationaux.
The Grand Palais also has a restaurant, the central police station of the 8th district of Paris, two rehearsal rooms occupied by the Comédie Française until summer 2009, the troops of the Garde républicaine, while an international press centre is due to open in September 2008.
