In late September, Heritage Days will give you the chance to discover the hidden gems of Paris and its surrounding region. You’ll be able to visit magical places rarely open to the public, such as hidden museums orlittle-known castles.This time, we invite you to discover asecret library just outside Paris… The Choiseul Library in Versailles: anabsolutely magnificent royal librarythat you can visit for free.
A Secret Library on the Outskirts of Paris
When we think of Versailles, we inevitably think of the Sun King and his palace. But who thinks of the city’s municipal library? Built over 700 years ago inthe former Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Navy building, it houses more than 600,000 documents belonging to our former sovereigns (and others), including 40,000 titles available for open access.
It became the city’s municipal library in 1803, and you’ll be dazzled by its gilded decor and impressive ornamental woodwork. Its architecture, featuringflat brick vaults, was designed to minimize the risk of fire—ahighly innovative technical feat for its time!
You can visit this fabulous library throughout the Heritage Days weekend. To do so,you ’ll needto go directly to the site: reservations will open on the day of the event andcan be made on-site at the gallery’s reception desk. Several time slots will be available,from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, September 19, and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, September 20.
📍Location: 5 Rue de l’Indépendance Américaine, 78000 Versailles