Musée de la Monnaie de Paris

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A living museum, between exhibition and production

Ideally located in the historic center of Paris, the Hôtel de la Monnaie, which faces the Île de la Cité , is located between Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the Latin Quarter, on the left bank of the Seine.

Dedicated to the arts of metal, La Monnaie de Paris is a museum with more than 200,000 objects in addition to the temporary exhibitions presented. It is also a temple of minting that is still in operation

At the Musée de la Monnaie de Paris, you can discover…

• A superb permanent exhibition space where arts, sciences, technology, archaeology and economics are discussed.
• An introduction to numismatics, the science that studies coins and medals
• Immersive atmospheres of metalworking workshops recreated through smells and sounds.
• Videos and interviews with experts help answer all the questions we ask ourselves… Seeing, touching, listening and even smelling …
• And the best part of the visit are the direct views of the factory’s foundry, from where you can watch the professionals make impressive metal castings and castings
• A fun and educational course will allow you to experiment with engraving and minting techniques through games
• And for the most curious, it is with virtual reality that “Le Numiscope” reveals all the secrets of the emblems used in numismatics

Family activities / entertainment all year round

Activities for young audiences (and for adults too)

• For 5-8 year olds – From 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. (check the slots on the site), with an adult – “Shape your bestiary” – Go in search of the real or legendary animals that are hidden in the collections
• From 7 years old – Wednesday and Saturday from 3 pm to 5 pm (with an adult) – “Chocolate melts – to make sparkling chocolate medallions like an artisan
• From 7 years old – Wednesday and Saturday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. (with an adult) – “Make your medal” – in the shoes of an engraver from the Monnaie de Paris and create a medal
• From 10 years old – Wednesday and Saturday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. (with an adult) – “from metal to jewel” – themagic of the crafts: polishing, enameling and jewelry, to give life to a unique jewel
• From 12 years old – Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. (with an adult) “Make your decoration!” – the discovery of the making of the great official decorations such as the Legion of Honor, the Order of Merit …

Visits

• All audiences – Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – “This way money!” all the facets of money in Paris – temple of money, factory, royal palace and museum – with a mediator
• From 12 years old – Wednesday at 7pm and Saturday at 5:30pm (duration 1h) during the winter – “The illuminated architectural night” – discover the building, the workshops and the museum by torchlight
• All audiences – Wednesdays from 7 pm to 8 pm – “Behind the scenes of money” – the secrets of the money factory and the neo-classical palace

The Monnaie de Paris: the minute of history

• The museum is attached to the institution that manufactures money in France, the Monnaie de Paris. It is located in the Hôtel de la Monnaie at 11 quai de Conti in Paris.
• A magnificent eighteenth-century building built by the architect Denis Antoine, it replaced the old mints established since the fourteenth century
• The first museum was born in 1833, modernized in 1991 and then in 2017 to present the ancient, medieval, modern and contemporary collections on arestored space of 1200m2
• You can see masterpieces such as Capetian coins, louis d’or, paper money, but also tools, art and scientific objects on display
• The pedagogical point of view traces the entire chain from the extraction of the ore to the minting of a coin or a medal. Platinum, gold, silver, zinc, iron and nickel… they all have their usefulness, their function, symbolic or technical
• An entire room is devoted to numismatics and counterfeit money, while another presents treasures !
• Monnaie de Paris is more than a museum, it is also a factory, a living place where money has been made for several centuries.
• The tour is set up so that visitors can see the arts and crafts workshops.
• Through a window nothing escapes us: the craftsmen are in silver overalls and wear fireproof masks. The handling of moulds, pliers and tools and … The highlight of the show: the fascinating pours of molten metal!
• This is the most surprising moment of the visit and will undoubtedly leave a very beautiful memory for children!

The temporary exhibitions …

• “Insert coin” – Pinballs, arcade machines and coin-operated games – From March 1st to June 30th, 2024
• “Money in Art” – 20 centuries of art history – between Art and Money, from Antiquity and its myths to today – March 30 – September 24, 2023
• “Coins & Wonders” an invitation to travel through the infinite variety of forms, materials and uses of money – From May 12 to September 25, 2022