Bibliothèque Forney, Decorative arts library in Le Marais, France
The Bibliothèque Forney is a special library in the 4th arrondissement of Paris, housed inside the Hôtel de Sens, one of the oldest surviving mansions in the city. The collection focuses on decorative arts and holds tens of thousands of documents covering textiles, wallpapers, posters, and graphic design.
The library was founded in 1886 thanks to a bequest from art collector Aimé-Samuel Forney, who left his private collection to the city of Paris. It moved to the Hôtel de Sens in 1961, after the building had been restored over several decades.
The library is named after the art collector Aimé-Samuel Forney, whose passion for decorative arts shaped its purpose. Today visitors and specialists come to examine textiles, posters, and design objects that document French craftsmanship and design traditions.
The entrance is in the Marais district, close to the Seine, and easy to reach on foot from several metro stations nearby. Weekdays tend to be quieter, which makes it easier to browse the reading rooms without waiting for a seat.
The Hôtel de Sens, which houses the library, was a palace for the Archbishops of Sens in the late Middle Ages, making it one of the oldest non-religious buildings still standing in Paris. Queen Margaret of Valois lived there in the early 17th century, giving the building an unexpected connection to French royal history.
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