Located in the heart of the Hotel des Invalides, in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, the Army Museum is a national military museum created in 1905 following the merger of the Artillery Museum and the Army Historical Museum. The first, created during the Revolution, proposed a collection of the Crown furniture and the collections of the Princes of Condé, while the second, created in the late nineteenth century, unveiled a section of weapons and armor and a historical section.
Completely renovated in the 2000s, the Musée de l'Armée now offers 9800 m² of permanent exhibitions and 600 m² of temporary exhibitions. It extends on the east and west wings of the main courtyard and on the west wing of the Saint-Louis church. It is divided into several departments, the Old Department with weapons and armor from the thirteenth to the seventeenth century, the Modern Department from Louis XIV to Napoleon III, and the Contemporary Department covering the two world wars.
In 2008 was added the Historial Charles-de-Gaulle retracing the life and work of the famous general. The Unusual Cabinets reveal a part about the old figurines and small models of artillery pieces, and a part about the military musical instruments.
Building much appreciated by visitors, the Church of the Dome unveils the burial of Napoleon I, his two brothers, his son l'Aiglon, marshals Vauban and Turenne, and those of marshals Foch and Lyautey.
Two other museums are also attached to that of the Army, that of Relief Plans with models of fortified cities retracing 200 years of military history, and that of the Order of Liberation. Created in the late 1960s, it is dedicated to the order created by de Gaulle with three parts on free France, the Resistance and the Interior Deportation.
