L'Arsenal au fil des siècles : De l'Hôtel du grand maître de l'Artillerie à la bibliothèque de l'Arsenal

The Hôtel du Grand Maître de l'Artillerie, home to the Arsenal library, is the last vestige of the Paris military arsenal. The arsenal consisted of a series of courtyards and buildings built from the 16th century onwards along Charles V's wall as far as the Bastille, where the King of France had the gunpowder and cannons for his artillery manufactured. It became the home of the Marquis de Paulmy in the 18th century, and the setting for his magnificent collection of books and manuscripts, declared a public library in the Fifth Year (1797). Having escaped both political turmoil and the destruction of the Haussmann era, the building still preserves its precious 17th and 18th century decorations, which are unique in their kind.

This book tells the story of the monument, combining the history of architecture, art, décor and furniture, as well as the history of the site, evoking the great historical events and more anecdotal ones that took place there, from the Fouquet trial to the installation of the Bastille archives and the Commune. When the library was set up, it became a meeting place for scholars, artists and writers, who brought the district to life at the heart of Parisian life. In this way, the classical history of a historic monument is superimposed on a living history, shedding light on the contemporary vocation of the site, the flagship of the Bibliothèque nationale de France.