There's a sort of half-scale castle next door to my residence in Paris and I've been wondering about its squat little turrets. Turns out to be one of few medieval mansions remaining in the Marais district, built between 1475 and 1507 for the Bishop of Sens as his town house. It has elegant renaissance details such as filigree stone, combined with brutal medieval defence such as shoots designed to scald your enemies with boiling water/oil. The bishop didn't live to see the completion, but over the years it has served as home to a queen, some bishops, revolutionaries, art students, and, a jam factory.
All these inhabitants were a bit hard on the old mansion and the city, after buying the place in 1911, did considerable restoration between 1939 and 1961. The end result is the Forney Library, specializing in fine and decorative arts, crafts, fashion, gardens and graphic design. To get in you need a library card, which I easily got, and was able to enjoy all the remaining architectural features including spiral staircases, arched entrances and a massive fireplace. Although the books did not contain potions and spells as the setting would suggest, the selection was remarkable including many titles in English.
You'll notice in the pictures below, that a small tree has been placed in front of the sign pointing you towards the library. This trickery seems to be a Parisian pastime as signs in the streets, museums, and on public transport are often evasive, obscured, or just a little vague.
You'll notice in the pictures below, that a small tree has been placed in front of the sign pointing you towards the library. This trickery seems to be a Parisian pastime as signs in the streets, museums, and on public transport are often evasive, obscured, or just a little vague.
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