Lavirotte Building

These locations showcase the architectural diversity of Paris through buildings spanning from medieval times to the modern era. The city preserves structures from two millennia: Roman baths from the 3rd century, Gothic churches like Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre, Renaissance mansions, and Art Nouveau apartment buildings designed by Hector Guimard. Beyond the famous monuments, visitors find hidden lanes with medieval timber-framed houses and private villas from the 19th century. The collection includes both public and private buildings. Visitors can explore the remains of the Arènes de Lutèce, where Romans once held gladiatorial contests, as well as the oldest residential houses in the city dating from the 15th century. The selection ranges from medieval church towers and classical arcades to modernist experiments of the early 20th century.

Between 1890 and 1910, Art Nouveau spread across Europe, producing buildings that combined craft traditions with industrial techniques through organic forms, natural motifs, and detailed ornamental work. Architects including Victor Horta in Brussels, Antoni Gaudí in Barcelona, and Otto Wagner in Vienna designed structures that departed from historical revival styles, instead emphasizing curved lines, wrought iron elements, and colored glass. The movement encompassed concert halls and railway stations as well as private homes and commercial facades, creating a body of work that remains central to the architectural identity of several European cities. Visitors can trace this development through multiple locations. Brussels offers the Victor Horta Museum, Tassel House, and Hôtel van Eetvelde as prime examples of the Belgian variant. Barcelona showcases Gaudí's Casa Batlló and Bellesguard alongside the Palau de la Musica Catalana with its elaborate tilework. Paris preserves Hector Guimard's Métropolitain entrances and the Lavirotte Building, while Prague presents the Municipal House and the Bedřich Smetana Museum. Nancy serves as a center of French Art Nouveau with the School Museum and Villa Majorelle, and Budapest displays the style through Gresham Palace and the Liszt Academy of Music. From Riga to Turin, Vienna to Belgrade, these buildings document a brief but influential period when architects reshaped urban environments across the continent.

Île-de-France offers numerous historic sites beyond Paris, including medieval fortresses, artist residences, botanical gardens and art museums. The Château de Blandy-les-Tours preserves 13th-century military architecture, while the Albert Kahn Museum & Gardens contains a collection of historic photographs and themed gardens representing different continents. The Château d'Écouen houses the Musée National de la Renaissance, featuring significant holdings of 16th-century furniture, tapestries and ceramics. The Domaine de Sceaux encompasses a park designed by André Le Nôtre with formal parterres and a 19th-century château. The Roseraie du Val-de-Marne displays more than 3,000 rose varieties across a 3.7-acre (1.5-hectare) garden. The region preserves literary sites including the Maison Littéraire de Victor Hugo in Bièvres, where the writer spent his final years, and the Maison Fournaise in Chatou, which served as a subject in Renoir's paintings. The Musée de la Toile de Jouy documents the history of regional textile production. Architectural features range from the medieval Donjon de Houdan to the Château de Monte-Cristo, Alexandre Dumas' neo-Gothic residence. Fort de Sucy represents late 19th-century military architecture, while Le Cyclop stands as a monumental metal sculpture by Jean Tinguely. These locations demonstrate the historical and cultural development of the region from medieval times through the modern era.