Musée national de la Marine

The Musée national de la Marine occupies the Palais de Chaillot, distinguished by two massive, curved wings that flank a wide terrace overlooking the Seine. It began as a collection of ship models commissioned by King Louis the Fifteenth, intended to help naval officers study ship construction and artillery. During the French Revolution, the collection moved to the Louvre before finding its current home. Admiral François Edmond Pâris spent decades managing these galleries, obsessively traveling the world to salvage relics from disappearing maritime traditions.