Palais de la Porte Dorée, Art Deco museum complex in 12th arrondissement, France
The Palais de la Porte Dorée is an Art Deco building at the edge of Bois de Vincennes with remarkable stone reliefs depicting ships, oceans, and wildlife across its exterior. Below ground sits a tropical aquarium home to thousands of animals from freshwater and saltwater environments.
The building opened in 1931 as part of the Paris Colonial Exposition, designed by architect Albert Laprade with collaborators Léon Jaussely and Léon Bazin. It later transformed from its original purpose into a space dedicated to examining immigration and its role in shaping nations.
The building now hosts the National Museum of Immigration History, reflecting how migration has shaped French society over centuries. The exhibitions tell personal stories of people who came to France seeking new opportunities and building their lives here.
The building sits at the edge of Bois de Vincennes and is easily reached by public transport, with multiple floors to explore and distinct zones to visit. Allow enough time to see both the museum exhibits and the aquarium, as they are housed under the same roof and each deserves careful attention.
The basement aquarium displays a range of habitats in vastly different sizes, from intimate small tanks to enormous displays housing rare fish and marine creatures from around the world. This collection has grown over many years and offers encounters with species visitors rarely see elsewhere.
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