Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine

Métro: Trocadéro (line 6 or 9)
Address: 1 place du Trocadéro et du 11 Novembre, 75016 Paris
Hours:Monday-Sunday 11:00 am to 7:00 pm (last ticket sold at 6:15pm)
Thursday 11:00 am to 9:00pm (last ticket sold at 8:15pm)
Closed on Tuesday
Cost: 8 euros. Free for kids under 18, EU students aged 18 to 25.
Free for all every first Sunday of the month.
Website: http://www.citechaillot.fr/fr/

Sometimes Paris is full of beautiful surprises that leave you just in awe. I had no idea this place existed and I have to say it is now in my top 3 museums. So basically it is the copycat museum of architecture. It is filled with moldings/replicas of the most beautiful buildings of France such as the cathedral of Reims or Rouen. Everything is clean, accessible and you can actually have a good look at it. It is divided unto 3 sections: the gallery of moldings, the gallery of murals and the gallery of modern architecture. First let's take a look at the Moldings Gallery:

What is really cool is the actual building which is more reminiscent of the Eiffel Tower of which we have a really beautiful view from the windows. It is a huge contrast with the moldings. Some of the castings date all the way from 1880 and has remained unspoiled while some of the originals have been damaged through the years. So it is a great record of what the originals were like prior to their state of deterioration.

 

 
Not all moldings are from religious buildings, you have here a replica of some of the sculptures of the Arc de Triomphe.

 

 I was really moved by the splendor of the following piece. Everything is so immaculate, detailed and refined. The emotions are real and it comes to life the more one looks at it. It took me a good 15 minutes and two times to fully admire all the details and the beauty of it.

On the second and third floor you will find models of more modern buildings. Personally it did not interest me that much and I went quickly through it. I almost missed the door to the third gallery: the Murals. I just could not believe my eyes: life size replicas of churches.
 

I really loved this museum. It felt more like I was traveling and visiting monuments rather than being in a museum. It was a really refreshing experience!