Shuttle transfer from Le Palais des Tuileries to Paris airports

History and Visit of the Tuileries Palace

The construction of the Palais des Tuileries in Paris began in 1564 on the current site of the Carrousel Gardens. The history of the Palais des Tuileries started after the death of King Henry II in 1559. His widow, Catherine de Medici, had the royal residence where they lived demolished and began the construction of what was called the Tuileries, named so because there used to be a tile factory (Tuillerie) on the site.

The Tuileries Palace featured a central pavilion with a dome and a suspended staircase ceiling. In 1871, the Paris Commune used the Tuileries as a venue for festivities and concerts. The organizers of the “Communist Concerts” conceived the idea of the palace’s destruction. On May 23, 1871, the palace was set on fire and burned for three days, melting bronzes and reducing marbles to dust.

The palace was expanded under successive reigns and had a massive facade of 266 meters long. It served as the royal residence for many monarchs, including Henry IV, Louis XIV, Louis XV, Louis XVI, Louis XVIII, Napoleon I, and Napoleon III. Important remnants can still be found, as they were purchased and displayed in various locations, some even as far away as Quito, Ecuador. The presidential railings, the pediment of the central pavilion, and the clock acquired by Carnavalet, are visible in the square Georges-Cain, Payenne street in the 3rd arrondissement. Beautiful statues that once adorned the same pediment can be seen in the vestibule under the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel du Louvre. Associations continue to argue for an identical reconstruction of the palace.