France Paris Palais de Chaillot

The Palais de Chaillot is an outstanding achievement of first half of the 20th century with its two houses prolonged by curved wings enclosing gardens, its esplanade bordered of eight gilded bronze statues. The palace shelters the theatre of Chaillot, the museums of the Man, of the Navy and of the French Monuments. For the Exposition Internationale of 1937, the old Palais du Trocadéro was demolished and replaced by the Palais de Chaillot which now tops the hill. It was designed in classicizing "moderne" style by architects Louis-Hippolyte Boileau, Jacques Carlu and Léon Azéma. Like the old palais, the palais de Chaillot features two wings shaped to form a wide arc: indeed, these wings were built on the foundations of those of the former building. However, unlike the old palais, the wings are independent buildings and there is no central element to connect them: instead, a wide esplanade leaves an open view from the place du Trocadéro to the Eiffel Tower and beyond.