Musee de la Chasse et de la Nature, Paris
If someone had told me before my last trip to Paris that the Museum of hunting and nature would be among the most fascinating I had ever visited in this city of museums, let alone anywhere, I would have laughed in their face. Boy was I wrong. I visited for the architecture of course but was floored by the collections. Housed primarily in the famous Hotel de Guenegaud by Mansart, the museum added on another fascinating structure in 2007 to expand their collection, the Hotel de Mongelas . Above is the courtyard of the Hotel Guenegaud, designed and built by Francois Mansart (father of the Mansard roof) between 1651 and 1655 in the heart of the ancient Marais district. Much of the Hotel Guenegaud is sadly closed to the public however. The neighboring Hotel de Mongelas, which was extensively renovated and restored during the 2007 addition of the space to the museum, more than makes up for this closure. The entrance into the museum is through the courtyard of the Mongelas which mixes ...