Hôtel des Invalides

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  • Address
    Esplanade des Invalides, 7e
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  • Phone
    01 44 42 37 72
  • Website
  • Transport
    underground rail: Invalides, Varenne, La Tour Maubourg
train: Invalides

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Lonely Planet review

The Hôtel des Invalides was built in the 1670s to provide housing for 4000 invalides (disabled veterans). On July 14, 1789, the Paris mob forced its way into the building and, after fierce fighting, seized 28000 rifles before heading on to the Bastille prison.

The 500m (1640ft) Esplanade des Invalides, which stretches from the main building to the Seine, was laid out between 1704 and 1720.

The Église du Dôme, with its sparkling dome, was built between 1677 and 1735 and is considered one of the finest religious edifices erected under Louis XIV. The church's role as a mausoleum for military leaders began in 1800, and in 1861 it received the remains of Napoleon, encased in six concentric coffins.

The buildings on either side of the Cour d'Honneur, the main courtyard, house the Musée de l'Armée, a huge military museum.