Established late 2014 Type museum | Location Paris Public transit access Malesherbes | |
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Cit de l conomie et de la monnaie histoires d argent
The Banque de France has announced the opening of the Cité de l’économie et de la monnaie during a press conference held by Governor Christian Noyer, on May 25, 2011. Its opening is programmed for the end of 2014.
Contents
- Cit de l conomie et de la monnaie histoires d argent
- Cit de l conomie et de la monnaie la monnaie et nous
- The project
- The building
- The architectural contest
- References
This educational place aims at explaining the economy and its concepts to the general public; it will be hosted in the Hotel Gaillard, located at 1, Place du General Catroux, in the 17th district in Paris.
Cit de l conomie et de la monnaie la monnaie et nous
The project
This place will invite the general public to discover economics, to tackle issues often met in everyday life, or to allow a better understanding of worldwide events.
The Cité de l’économie et de la monnaie will inter alia address teachers and their students, to help illustrate concepts studied at school (indeed half of the 100 000 annual visitors expected should be of school age).
The project is launched by the Banque de France, which collaborates with several partners. Among those partners:
The building
The Cité de l’économie et de la monnaie will be hosted in the Hotel Gaillard, located at 1, Place du Général Catroux, in the 17th district in Paris.
This neo-gothic mansion has been realized by architect Jules Février at request of Emile Gaillard, banker from the city of Grenoble and amateur and collector of Middle Ages and Renaissance art. The Hotel Gaillard was sold to the Banque de France in 1919.
From 1919 to 1921, architectural works have been directed by architect Alphonse Defrasse for the Banque de France, especially the building of a steel structure which housed the cashier’s desks and other services to the visitors. He also imagined the impressive strong room which could be accessed by a lift bridge, over two-meters-deep moats.
Listed as a historic monument in 1999, this branch closed in 2006, as a consequence of the plan to close half of the Banque de France’s branches on the French territory.
The architectural contest
The project of the Cité de l’économie et de la monnaie was the object of an architectural contest. Over 100 teams of architects and museographers have participated in this contest which aimed at transforming this former branch of the Banque de France in an educational Cité, while respecting the architecture of the building which is listed as historic monument.
The team of architects – museographers was selected by the Banque de France amongst the six final projects chosen by the jury of the contest. The team is made of Ateliers Lion for the architecture, François Confino for the museography, and Eric Pallot as architect in charge of historic monuments.