Oh Paris! Reveal Your Hidden Past!

It's the second week in Paris and the students have gotten to do and see a lot of fun things! This week they had the opportunity to go to the “Atelier de Street-Art,” where they were able to use spray paint and express their best artistic abilities. They went to the “Atelier des Lumières,” where they were able to watch a beautiful light show detailing the history of Egypt, and today, June 13th, the students went to the Musée Carnavalet.

What is the Musée Carnavalet you may ask?

The Musée Carnavalet is located in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris. The museum is dedicated to Paris’ history and is the oldest city museum in Paris. It covers themes such as the French Revolution and Paris during the Renaissance. The museum is housed between two mansions: the Hôtel Carnavalet and the former Hôtel Le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau. It is also where famous French aristocrat, Madame de Sévigné remembered for her letter-writing lived from 1677-1696. 

Today, the museum houses over 618,000 items from prehistory to the present. Items such as paintings, sculptures, shop signs, drawings, medals, coins, and so much more. This museum is considered a must-see in Paris, and the students were very enthusiastic about visiting.

The students were guided through the museum by a very informative tour guide, where they learned a plethora of information about certain artistic pieces. For example, they learned that in the past, there were no street names and addresses, so identifiable signs were used as indications of where certain shops were located and what kind of shops they were. As much of the population could not read, this was how it was done back then. For example, a sign of a key meant a locksmith and a mermaid signified a poissonnerie (fish market).

Many of my students loved the idea of the guided tour because they gained more perspective on the historical context of what they were looking at and it helped them learn so much about Paris!