Palais-Royal

Palais Royal became one of the bright examples of French Baroque architecture, as its client - Cardinal Richelieu - wished to demonstrate his power and position through the luxurious private residence. Construction began under the architect Jacques Lemercier in 1629, and by 1639, under his supervision, it was completed. Beautiful gardens were created in 1629 by a team including Jean Le Nôtre, Simon Bouchard, and Pierre I Desgots, based on a plan by Jacques Boyceau. Originally, the architectural ensemble, including the palace, square, and park, was called Palais-Cardinal. However, in 1642, after the cardinal's death, the palace became the property of the royal family and was appropriately renamed Palais Royal.

Following the death of Louis XIII, it became the home of Queen Mother Anne of Austria and her young sons Louis XIV and Philippe, Duke of Anjou, as well as her advisor Cardinal Mazarin. From 1649, the palace served as the residence for the exiled Henrietta Maria and Henrietta Anne Stuart, wife and daughter of the deposed King Charles I of England. These two fled England amidst the Civil War and were sheltered by Henrietta Maria's nephew, King Louis XIV.

Louis XIV, upon becoming king, gifted Palais Royal to his brother Philippe of Orleans. From then until the 18th-century revolution, Palais Royal remained in the possession of the Orleans family. Until 1776, various owners made only minor changes to its architecture. However, in the late 18th century, Philippe II, Duke of Orleans known as the Duke of Chartres, initiated a major reconstruction of the entire palace complex. The Duke, having a commercial streak, ordered his architect Victor Louis to build uniform structures with arcades on three sides of the Palais Royal garden, accommodating various shops and cafes on the ground floors. Louis also developed a project for the French Theater.

Following this reconstruction, Palais Royal and the surrounding streets became distinctly associated with various entertainment venues and shops among the city's residents. For instance, a circus, the Chapito, was opened in the garden of Palais Royal.

In 1793, during the French Revolution, Palais Royal was completely nationalized. In the early 19th century, it housed the stock exchange and then the commercial dispute court. After the restoration of the monarchy in 1814, King Louis XVIII returned Palais Royal to the Orleans. Architect Pierre Fontaine was commissioned to redesign the palace's interiors.

All the shops, gambling houses, and entertainment venues around the palace were closed. The palace turned into a center of Parisian social life. During the 1848 revolution, Palais Royal was looted, and in 1871 it was burned down by the Paris Commune. The palace was completely restored only in 1873, housing the State Council. The palace itself is not open for visits, but the public can visit the garden of Palais Royal.

The buildings of the Palais-Royal facing south, towards the Place du Palais-Royal and the Louvre, present an impressive sight. The central part of the palace is dominated by the State Council, also known as the Conseil d'État. This grand structure consists of three floors, adorned with a low dome and a rounded pediment decorated with exquisite sculptures. Beneath the central building, two arched passages lead to the Court of Honor, a space of significance and dignity.

In the eastern wing, on the right side, are the offices of the Ministry of Culture and Communication, demonstrating the fusion of administrative and artistic directions. The two wings of the building have triangular facades, decorated with sculptures in a classical style, which is a hallmark of the architectural style of Louis XIV and exudes a sense of elegance and grandeur.

On the western side of the Council building is the Place Colette, followed by the Richelieu Hall of the celebrated Comédie Française, a beacon of theatrical excellence. Additionally, the premises of the Constitutional Council serve as a reminder of the building's significance in state affairs.

In the 1980s, under the initiative of the Ministry of Culture, which occupies part of the palace, a large-scale reconstruction of the square was undertaken. The artist Daniel Buren designed the area in an ultra-modern style, placing 260 columns of varying heights, clad with black and white marble stripes. This bold decision by the artist was one of the first attempts to integrate modern art into a historical architectural context. Initially, Parisians actively protested against such reconstruction, but today Buren's Columns are an integral part of the palace, and taking a selfie against their backdrop has become almost a mandatory element of a stroll around the square. Moreover, Parisians have even come up with a special superstition - if you make a wish and toss a coin onto the highest column, it will surely come true.

The garden of Palais-Royal, as it exists today, was created in 1780 by architect Victor Louis and is an elongated rectangle surrounded by houses with uniform facades. The park is beautiful at any time of the year and is completely cut off from the outside world. In 1920, the garden became a French historical monument. In 1992, landscape architect Mark Rudkin added "Green Salons" with seasonal flowers. Near the central fountain, in 1786, a small bronze cannon was installed precisely on the Paris Meridian passing through the garden, invented by engineer and clockmaker Rousseau. On sunny days from May to October, at exactly noon, it automatically fired, powered by a clever optical mechanism that ignited the charge of the cannon when the sun was in a specific point in the sky. In 1911, after France switched to Greenwich Mean Time, this precise time signal was banned. The tradition was revived in 1990, but soon interrupted again due to the theft of the cannon. In 1998, an exact replica of the cannon was installed in its place, but without the functioning optical mechanism. Since 2011, the cannon fires again, but only one day a week. Every Wednesday at noon, a pyrotechnician from the Palais-Royal now fires it.