The Carnavalet Museum in Paris is dedicated to the history of this fascinating city,
which welcomes about 29 million tourists annually.
The museum occupies two neighboring mansions: the Hôtel Carnavalet and the former
Hôtel Le Peletier de Saint Fargeau. On the advice of Baron Haussmann, the civil
servant who transformed Paris in the latter half of the 19th century, the Hôtel
Carnavalet was purchased by the Municipal Council of Paris in 1866; it was opened
to the public in 1880. By the latter part of the 20th century, the museum was bursting
at the seams. The Hôtel Le Peletier de Saint Fargeau was annexed to the Canavalet
and opened to the public in 1989