Les Invalides, Military complex in 7th arrondissement, France
The golden-domed building covers 13 hectares and houses multiple museums, military institutions, and a church within its limestone walls.
Louis XIV ordered construction in 1670 to provide housing and care for wounded soldiers returning from his numerous military campaigns.
The Army Museum within the complex exhibits 500,000 artifacts, including weapons, uniforms, paintings, and military equipment from different periods.
The site contains Napoleon's tomb, two churches, multiple exhibition spaces, and remains an active center for disabled veterans of the French military.
The central courtyard displays a collection of French bronze cannons, with intricate decorations cast into their barrels dating from the 17th century.
Location: Invalides
Inception: 1671
Architects: Libéral Bruant, Jules Hardouin-Mansart
Official opening: 1687
Architectural style: classical architecture, baroque architecture
Accessibility: Wheelchair inaccessible
Address: 129 Rue de Grenelle 75007 Paris
Phone: +33810113399
Website: https://invalides.fr
GPS coordinates: 48.85500,2.31250
Latest update: November 14, 2025 07:19
The Musée d'Orsay displays Impressionist paintings. The Catacombs lead to underground ossuaries. Centre Pompidou presents modern art. Marché d'Aligre offers food and antiques. Sainte-Chapelle contains 13th century glass windows. The Palais-Royal garden and Canal Saint-Martin are green urban spaces.
Military buildings from different countries demonstrate the evolution of defense structures and command centers across centuries. This collection includes medieval castles, early modern fortifications, barracks, command posts, and contemporary military installations. Each structure documents the military strategies, technological advances, and historical events of its era. The sites range from European fortress systems such as Vauban fortifications in France to Asian defensive walls and American military bases from various periods. Many of these structures played critical roles in wars and conflicts and are now accessible as monuments or museums. They provide insights into military architecture, engineering practices, and the strategic importance of their locations.
This route covers two millennia of Parisian construction history, showing the architectural layers of the city. It includes Roman remains such as the first-century Lutetia arenas, medieval structures, classical palaces, and modern constructions from the 19th and 20th centuries. Each location documents specific building phases and technical developments in the French capital. The selection ranges from well-known landmarks to less visited historical sites. The 1889 Eiffel Tower stands alongside Roman thermal bath fragments and medieval churches. This collection allows visitors to trace urban development from the ancient settlement of Lutetia to the modern metropolis and compare different architectural styles.
Musée Rodin
246 m
Dôme des Invalides
20 m
Musée de l'Armée
231 m
Cathédrale Saint-Louis-des-Invalides
0 m
Hôtel Biron
246 m
Musée des Plans-Reliefs
171 m
Musée de l'ordre de la Libération
115 m
Historial Charles de Gaulle
217 m
Jardin de l'Intendant
108 m
Cour d'honneur des Invalides
163 m
Jardin de l'Abondance
67 m
Statue de Gribeauval
208 m
Café - Restaurant L'augustine
257 m
Jules Hardouin-Mansart
80 m
Jules Hardouin Mansart
78 m
Tribune organ of the Hotel des Invalides
0 m
The Thinker
231 m
Marshal Gallieni
154 m
Église du Dôme de l'Hôtel des Invalides de 7e arrondissement de Paris
28 m
Marshal Fayolle
158 m
Tomb of Joseph Bonaparte
4 m
Jardin du Musée Rodin
238 m
Musée historique de l'Armée
0 m
Tomb of Napoleon II of France
5 m
Tomb of Napoleon
27 m
Memorial to the Victims of Terrorism
169 m
Tomb of Hubert Lyautey
4 m
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