Monnaie de Paris

The Monnaie de Paris wears a long, rhythmic facade of carved stone stretching along the Seine, marked by a series of grand arches and rusticated masonry. It serves as the oldest continuously operating institution in France, founded in eight sixty-four to mint the nation's coins. During the French Revolution, the engraver Augustin Dupre famously defied the government when ordered to produce coins bearing the face of the king. He insisted on the portrait of Liberty instead, risking imprisonment to set a new standard.