Palais de l'Agriculture, Belle Epoque palace on Promenade des Anglais, Nice, France

The Palais de l'Agriculture is a two-storey yellow building at 113 Promenade des Anglais, with rusticated stonework on the ground floor and three large rectangular windows set above balustrades. A wooden double door with glass panes sits at the top of a staircase, and five windows occupy the upper storey, the central three grouped with balustrades. A decorative gable inscribed "PALAIS DE L'AGRICULTURE" tops the red-tiled roof.

The building was constructed in 1900-1901 to designs by Paul Marin, an Arts et Métiers engineer and secretary-general of the Société centrale d'agriculture, d'horticulture et d'acclimatation de Nice et des Alpes-Maritimes, a learned society founded in 1860. President Émile Loubet inaugurated it on 8 April 1901. It was listed as a monument historique on 28 March 1991 and received the label Patrimoine du XXe siècle; restoration ended in 2012.

The Société centrale d'agriculture, d'horticulture et d'acclimatation de Nice et des Alpes-Maritimes, founded in 1860 and recognised as a public utility since 1894, has its seat here and gave the building its name. The inscription "PALAIS DE L'AGRICULTURE" on the central gable announces the society's work on farming, gardens and plant acclimatisation in the Alpes-Maritimes.

The palace is open on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3 PM to 6 PM, with adjusted hours during the summer months. It is wise to check beforehand, as opening times can change depending on the season.

The building holds a notable collection of cacti and a grain library that few visitors expect to find. These unusual collections make it a hidden gem for those interested in botanical rarities.