Archaeological and archival digs tell the story of buildings long gone
With its more than 200.000 inhabitants around 1300, Paris was one of the largest cities in medieval Europe at that time; even London could not compete with its 80.000 inhabitants at the same time.
However, while medieval London burned in 1666 and the rest in 1940-41, Paris never suffered the same fate. On the other hand, medieval Paris was brutally destroyed in the 19th century; first by Napoleon, and later by Napoleon III and his prefect, baron Haussmann.
Nevertheless, during the 20th century interest in recovering the pitiful remains through archaeology and archival studies grew. According to the “Archives Nationales” it is now time to review all this new information and present an overview to the public – hence the exposition this autumn at the Archives Nationales. With maps, models, manuscripts and pieces of sculpture the exhibition tells the story of the grand hotels as well as the more ordinary homes of the burghers and artisans in the city.
The exhibition is curated by Stephen Hamon, who is professor at the University of Picardie together with Jules Verne and Valentine Weiss from the National Archives.
La demeure médiévale à Paris
Hôtel de Soubise, rue des Francs-Bourgeois 75003 Paris
17.10.2012–14.01.2013
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