Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine

The Cite de l architecture et du patrimoine is the largest museum of architecture in the world. It occupies the east wing of the Palais de Chaillot, a massive Art Deco structure that commands one of the most famous views of the Eiffel Tower across the river. While the building itself is a twentieth century landmark, the collection it houses traces its roots back to 1879, when the architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc first championed the idea of gathering life-sized reproductions of French monuments under one roof.