The Élysée Palace is the official residence of the French President. Located in the heart of Paris, in the 8th arrondissement, this elegant, classical-style building was built in the 18th century. Since 1848, it has been the place where France’s most important decisions are taken. But do you really know it? Discover all the secrets of one of France’s most emblematic landmarks.
The palace has as many rooms as there are days in the year
Did you know? There are no fewer than 365 rooms in the Élysée Palace: reception and ceremonial rooms, offices, converted attic space… A real palace!
Its garden was originally… a swamp
Looking at this sublime garden of almost two hectares, it’s hard to imagine that it was once… a swamp. The latter included pastures as well as market garden crops. Then, the Marquise de Pompadour transformed it into a giant playground, complete with mazes and waterfalls. It wasn’t until 1786 that the garden was transformed into the English-style garden we know today, by its former occupant, financier Nicolas Beaujon.
A president died in the Élysée, in funny circumstances
This is certainly one of the Palace’s most astonishing stories. The sixth President of the Republic, Félix Faure, died in the Élysée Palace… in the arms of his mistress. Faure diedat the age of 58, on one of the couches in the Palais.
The saddest galette des Rois in France will be served.
Every year, the Élysée’s 22 chefs serve 80,000 meals. Among them, the famous Galette des Rois! Only, the one at the Élysée doesn’t have a bean. But why? Quite simply because the President is not allowed to be a King.
He houses an hourglass that will run for 1,000 years.
Created by artist Benoit Pype , this astonishing hourglass is set to take 1,000 years to run down. Installed in the presidential office, this very special object is made from a resinous fluid that takes a very long time to flow! According to the artist, a drop forms every 10 years. Another peculiarity is that when the temperature rises, the fluid tends to flow faster… Who knows what will happen to this hourglass in 100, 500 or even 1000 years’ time?