Hôtel de Salm
The Legion of Honour Museum, near the Orsay Museum, is a must-see for any visitor to Paris.
It is indeed housed in the Hôtel de Salm, a building renowned for its elegant proportions and magnificent classical architecture.
The German Prince de Salm-Kyrburg commissioned the architect Pierre Rousseau to design the Hôtel de Salm in 1782.
In 1802, Napoleon I acquired the mansion to house the collections of the Grand Chancellery of the Legion of Honour, an order he had created to reward military and civil merit. Napoleon inaugurated the museum in 1804.
Legion of Honour Museum
This museum has become our Legion of Honour Museum, a rather unusual museum that traces the history of the Legion of Honour through vast collections.
You will be able to admire French uniforms, military decorations, manuscripts and paintings, as well as a wide variety of foreign decorations.
The museum offers a unique perspective on the traditions of honour and service in France and is a must-see for all enthusiasts of military history and cultural heritage.
A museum not to be missed!
Unfortunately, the interior of the Hôtel de Salm was destroyed by fire during the Paris Commune in 1871.
However, in 1878, it was meticulously rebuilt exactly as it had been.
The exterior of the building was spared by the flames, preserving its original bas-reliefs created in 1782 and the elegant rotunda on the riverside.
The museum has two entrances: the monumental triumphal arch on the Rue de Lille leads to the Cour d’Honneur, but the public entrance is located on Rue de Bellechasse, just opposite the Musée d’Orsay.
Directions: 7th District – No.2 Rue de Bellechasse
Metro: Solférino on Line 12 – RER C: Musée d’Orsay
Coordinates: Lat 48.860298 – Long 2.324680
