Musée de l'Orangerie

The building you are approaching was constructed in eighteen fifty-two as a practical solution to a royal problem. Napoleon the Third ordered the structure built in the Tuileries Garden specifically to shelter the palace's collection of orange trees from the harsh winter cold. Architects designed the southern side with expansive glass windows to catch the sunlight, while the northern wall remained windowless to block icy winds. Before this dedicated space existed, the trees had to be hauled all the way into the Louvre Palace for the winter months.