Tourist Information
It was in 1782 that Prince Frederick III of Salm-Kyrburg decided to build a private mansion on the banks of the Seine. He engaged the architect Pierre Rousseau for the construction of this superb building. When the Prince died, the Hôtel de Salm passed to his son, who rented it out. In 1804, the state acquired the Hôtel de Salm at the instigation of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. This private mansion then became the Palais de la Légion d'Honneur, a distinction created by the Emperor. In 1871, during the Paris Commune, the Palais de la Légion d'Honneur was set alight. The architect Anastase Mortier was given the task of restoring it. In 1925, the Palais de la Légion d'Honneur acquired a national museum recounting the history of the Légion d'honneur. You can visit it at 2 rue de la Légion d'honneur in the VIIth arrondissement of Paris.
