Musee Les Invalides

Invalides museum is in the centre of Paris and leads off the Pont Alexandre III with a wide boulevard all the way to the museum which is a massive building of a light colored stone. The facade of the building is impressive with stone carvings along the roofline and beautiful carvings around the dormer windows protruding from the roof. Built around 1670 it was a hospital and retirement home for soldiers and part of it is still used for this today as well as a military hospital. Our visit was to see the museum displaying all manner of military items from medieval times through to world war 2 and what a display. There is a huge display of body armour, swords, spears, axes, lances, guns, cannons and all manner of hideous equipment for dealing with the enemy. The swords and guns are just fascinating as the workmanship in them is incredible. They are things of beauty but also deadly to the receiver of their intended use. The body armour is also beautifully decorated and a large percentage of it was made in Italy as they were the masters of this trade in the Middle Ages with France and others making it in later years. The eras of Bonaparte and others are also widely covered with uniforms, weapons and paintings depicting the many wars of the time. There were also grand displays of the many dress uniforms of the forces from various countries, so astounding as to quality, style and colour as were the ceremonial weapons which were more like artworks with superfine engraving, gilding, ceramics and precious gem inserts. The displays of the two world wars were more down to earth with the flair gone from war and just the utilitarian equipment with only the intention of being mass produced with the aim of killing and maiming as many of the enemy as quickly as possible. The history of the wars was also explained in many information boards throughout the two world war displays and the message we got from it is the futility of war as in the end no one wins as the French country was decimated in World War One and much of Europe was in total ruin after World War Two.

We also visited Napoleons Tomb which is part of the museum and housed under a spectacular gilded dome attached to Les Invalides this was absolutely beautiful with highly decorative inlaid stone floors, beautiful stonework, huge columns, ceilings frescos and as the centerpiece Napoleons Tomb made for a dark red granite. The whole building was of huge proportions and multi levels and also houses the tombs of other great French heroes.

Overall this was an outstanding museum we thoroughly enjoyed and you really need more than one day to explore everything in it as it is vast with so many displays from so many eras.