The National Archives Museum - Hôtel de Soubise

The National Archives were created during the Revolution in 1790, the purpose was to store all the official documents of the French State in one building. Today, this former mansion (the Hôtel de Soubise) is no longer suitable for storing documents and the building has been transformed into a museum.

The museum is difficult to understand because it tells the story of the National Archives and the history of the Hôtel de Soubise before the transformation of the hôtel particulier into a national archive. One does not know exactly what one is visiting, even the name of the museum is rather misleading (are we visiting a museum or a mansion?). Apparently potential visitors were disconcerted and in 2020 the museum became free to attract more people. Of course the free entrance allows the visit without the risk of being disappointed, the Soubise hotel has become a nice little museum that can be visited in 1 hour. Don't forget to visit the gardens on the side.