MONNAIE
Located between Saint-Germain-des-Prés and Sorbonne Panthéon, the Monnaie district runs along the left bank, facing the Île de la Cité.
Vibrant and lively, this is the oldest district of the 6th arrondissement. It was once the stronghold of the capital’s book industry and is now home to numerous bookshops on its quays, as well as a multitude of print and antique merchants.
Founded in 864, the Monnaie de Paris factory is the oldest French institution and the oldest working company in the world. Open to the public since 2017, we discover within its building the secrets of these crafts and the priceless treasure they contain, taking us on a true sensory journey around metal. Highly influenced by culture, the quarter is also home to the Institut de France and the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts. The latter is a large architectural complex, a former monastery, redesigned during the French Revolution by Alexandre Lenoir, as a museum of French monuments. Home to the Beaux-Arts since 1817, it houses a large number of masterpieces, such as the immense glass courtyard of the Palais des Études or the fresco by Paul Delaroche, decorating the main auditorium.
A living testimony to a long and fascinating history.
