Heritage Days 2026 in Paris: the Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé Foundation's program

Thanks to the European Heritage Days, embark on a discovery of unique cultural venues for free. Since 1984, all across France and Europe, places that are sometimes closed to the public or paid become free and accessible to everyone, two days a year, in September. It’s a one-of-a-kind event that draws strong crowds every year. And for its 43rd edition, the Journées du Patrimoine will take place on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September 2026.

Discover the full program for Heritage Days in Paris and Île-de-France:

Heritage Days 2026 in Paris (75): the borough-by-borough programme of visits
For the 2026 Heritage Days in Paris, the capital’s monuments and historic sites throw open their doors (often free) to reveal their secrets. Don’t miss this unmissable event, scheduled for the weekend of September 19–20, 2026, with the themes: "Heritage in Peril" and "Heritage of Photography." [Read more]

Heritage Days 2026: Paris museums and art foundations across Île-de-France
During the 2026 Heritage Days, numerous museums and art foundations open their doors for free in Paris and the Île-de-France region. Mark your calendars for Saturday, 19 September and Sunday, 20 September 2026 to enjoy a program rich with exciting discoveries. [Read more]

Heritage Days 2026: the program for cinema enthusiasts in Paris and Île-de-France
During the Heritage Days 2026, embark on a cinema tour across Paris and Île-de-France on September 19 and 20. Their behind-the-scenes worlds unfold for you, with our selection of cinemas and museums devoted to the seventh art to discover! [Read more]

The Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé Foundation launched in 2006, but the building housing it opened its doors in 2014. Behind the façade sculpted by Auguste Rodin, dating from around 1869, architect Renzo Piano has crafted a five-story shell clad in 5,000 protective shutters. This is where the Foundation’s headquarters sit, housing researchers who work on the conservation and public access to Pathé’s historic heritage, one of the earliest film companies. The Foundation invites Parisians and residents of the Île-de-France region to discover its story on the occasion of the Heritage Days, on Saturday, September 19 and Sunday, September 20, 2026.

• To be read
• This week's top picks for July 6–12, 2026 in Paris and Île-de-France

The Heritage Days lineup at the Seydoux Foundation for 2026:

• Self-guided tour of Renzo Piano's building

  The Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé Foundation, which earned public-utility status in 2006, works to preserve and share with the public Pathé’s historical heritage. Behind a facade sculpted by Auguste Rodin around 1869, architect Renzo Piano has erected a five-story shell clad in 5,000 protective shutters. Raised amid a garden, the contemporary building was inaugurated in September 2014 and now houses the Foundation’s new headquarters. The now-famous glass shell on the fifth floor houses offices and the researchers’ reception.

  This space is exceptionally open for free during the European Heritage Days.

  Participation requirements: Free | No booking required

  Opening hours: Saturday, 19 September 2026 — 10:00–18:00 | Sunday, 20 September 2026 — 10:00–18:00

• Silent-film screening in a cine-concert

  Silent films in cine-concerts

  The Charles Pathé Hall, dedicated to silent cinema year-round, will present over these two days a program of Pathé films, digitized by the Pathé Foundation, showcasing the breadth of the catalog (sessions of about 30 minutes). The screenings will be accompanied on the piano by students from Jean-François Zygel’s improvisation class (Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et danse de Paris).

  Screenings:

  10:30 – 11:30 – 12:30 -13:30 – 14:30 – 15:30 – 16:30 – 17:30

  Participation conditions: Venue capacity 66 seats, no reservation required. - Free | No reservation required

  Hours: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 10:00 to 18:00 | Sunday, September 20, 2026 — 10:00 to 18:00

• Open, self-guided tours of the Pathé Foundation collection galleries

  The Invisible Construction Site. Behind the Scenes of Jean-Jacques Annaud's Films - Temporary Exhibition

  The Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé Foundation opens the doors to the sets of a master of cinema with an unprecedented immersion into the behind-the-scenes of his greatest masterpieces. The Invisible Construction Site reveals the making secrets of Jean-Jacques Annaud's films. From monumental frescoes to painstaking reconstructions, through extreme technical challenges, the exhibition is a fascinating homage to this boundary-crossing director who, for the first time, unveils the backstage of his sets and his deepest secrets. From The Victory Song to The Bear, from The Quest for Fire to The Name of the Rose, from Seven Years in Tibet to Two Brothers, Annaud's body of work spans continents, eras and imaginations.

  The Gallery of Equipment. The Mechanics of Cinema - Temporary Exhibition

  The Foundation once again showcases its collection of cameras, projectors and accessories in a new space with a fresh layout. These devices, produced by Pathé over 90 years, trace the history of techniques and cinematic practices when film stock was the sole medium for moving images. Each format gave rise to a corresponding machine, telling the story of cinema’s rise as an essential pastime—from the earliest dark rooms fitted with the Cinématographe Lumière to bringing cinema into living rooms with the clever Pathé-Baby.

  The exhibition, featuring around fifty devices, includes some of cinema’s most iconic tools such as the Pathé Professionnelle camera, the Pathé-Baby and Pathé-Rural projectors, or the 1960s flagship Pathé-Webo M camera. It is complemented by screenings of documentary excerpts produced around the time these devices were marketed, as well as didactic films showing how they operate.

  Participation requirements: Free | No reservation required

  Hours : Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 10:00 ⤏ 18:00 | Sunday, September 20, 2026 — 10:00 ⤏ 18:00