Hi, I'm James, your personal guide. Together with MyWoWo, I'd like to welcome you to one of the wonders of the world.
Today I'll accompany you through the Invalides, which is one of the most moving places in Paris!
Even though we call it "Douce France", the country has always been a very combative nation. You'll definitely realize this while you visit the enormous Hotel des Invalides, an architectural and social structure linked to the history of the country's armies. Louis XIV the Sun King had the idea to build a place that provided shelter and assistance to poor, disabled, or elderly soldiers and officers near Champ de Mars, where military exercises were carried out.
Designed to accommodate two thousand people and founded in the second half of the seventeenth century based on the design of an architect specializing in hospitals, the building was part healthcare facility, part rest home, and part artisan factory. In fact, the former soldiers had to contribute to their livelihood by working in the upholstery, calligraphy, and ceramic workshops, which were the so-called "royal factories" that produced objects for the court. They also worked on soldiers' uniforms.
Thus it should be easy to understand why this vast architectural complex has such a severe and orderly atmosphere: the ex soldiers and officers led a life of discipline that was halfway between being in the barracks and a convent. They ate in common dining halls, but lived in very comfortable accommodations compared to the standards of the times: simple soldiers were in six-bed rooms, and officers were in one or two-bed rooms depending on their rank…

Visit the MyWoWo page dedicated to this wonder:

https://mywowo.net/en/france/paris/invalides/building

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