Musée des Plans-Reliefs

1703 model of Château-d'Oléron in the museum

The Musée des Plans-Reliefs is a museum of military models located within the Hôtel des Invalides in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France. It is open daily except the first Monday of each month; an admission fee is charged.

The construction of models dates to 1668 when François-Michel le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois and minister of war to Louis XIV, began a collection of three-dimensional models of fortified cities for military purposes, known as 'plans-relief'. The models gave particular attention to the city fortifications and topographic features such as hills and harbors. In 1700 Louis XIV installed the collection in the Louvre. Initially the models were constructed in the field, by military engineers, but in 1743 two central workshops were established for their construction in Béthune and Lille. A large number of models were built during and after the War of the Austrian Succession (1741–1748) to represent newly captured sites. The collection was updated in 1754, but then fell into some disuse; the final models built under the Ancien Régime were those of Saint-Omer (1758) and the fort Saint-Philippe aux Baléares (1759).

In 1774 the collection was nearly destroyed when its Louvre gallery was rededicated to paintings, but was in 1777 moved to the Hôtel des Invalides where it remains to this day. Under Napoleon, a new set of models was built, including Luxembourg (1802), La Spezia (1811), Brest (1811), and Cherbourg (1811–1813). Their production then continued until about 1870, when it drew to a close with the disappearance of fortifications bastionnées. The collection was declared a historical monument in 1927, and the museum established in 1943.

All told, some 260 plans-reliefs were created between 1668 and 1870, representing about 150 fortified sites. About 100 models are conserved today by this museum, of which about 15 are kept in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lille. At present, the museum displays 28 plans-reliefs of fortifications along the English Channel, the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts, and the Pyrenees. It also contains presentations on construction and use of the plans-reliefs.

References

Musée des Plans-Reliefs
Monuments nationaux entry (French)
Paris.org entry
Isabelle Warmoes, Le Musée des plans-reliefs, Editions du patrimoine, Paris, 1997.
George A. Rothrock, "The Musee des Plans-Reliefs", French Historical Studies, Vol. 6, No. 2 (Autumn, 1969), pages 253-256.

7th arrondissement of Paris

Neighbourhoods	Faubourg Saint-Germain Quartier du Gros-Caillou

Primary and secondary schools	Lycée et collège Victor Duruy Établissement La Rochefoucauld Institut de l'Alma Lycée-collège Paul-Claudel Lycée d'Hulst Lycée Sainte-Jeanne Elisabeth Lycée Saint-Thomas-d'Aquin Lycée Thérèse-Chappuis Istituto Statale Italiano Leonardo Da Vinci

Colleges and universities	American University of Paris Sciences Po

Landmarks	American Church in Paris Eiffel Tower Hôtel de Boisgelin Hôtel Matignon Les Invalides Musée de l'Armée Musée des Plans-Reliefs Musée d'Histoire Contemporaine Musée Maillol Musée de l'Ordre de la Libération Musée du quai Branly Musée Rodin Musée Valentin Haüy Pont de l'Alma Pont des Invalides Taipei Representative Office in France

Paris Métro stations	Assemblée Nationale Champ de Mars Duroc École Militaire Invalides La Tour-Maubourg Rue du Bac Saint-François-Xavier Ségur Sèvres – Babylone Solférino Vaneau Varenne

Paris RER stations	Invalides

Coordinates: 48°51′23″N 2°18′48″E / 48.85639°N 2.31333°E / 48.85639; 2.31333

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Musée des Plans-Reliefs

See also

References