Special opening of the Ministry of National Education for Heritage Days 2026 in Paris

Power centers also join the Heritage Days festivities, this year highlighted by the opening of the Ministry of National Education for a rare weekend of tours on September 19–20, 2026.

Based in the sumptuous Hôtel de Rochechouart since 1829, the Ministry of National Education and Youth is a national institution in Paris to discover exclusively during the Heritage Days, to be experienced this year on Saturday, September 19 and Sunday, September 20, 2026.

The Journées du Patrimoine (Heritage Days ) are an opportunity to open the doors of some of the world's most famous monuments and unusual places, and discover their fabulous history.

Every year during the Journées du Patrimoine, thousands of curious visitors flock to the Ministry of Education and Youth to admire the office of the Minister and his advisors, the historic salons of the Hôtel de Rochechouart, and the library and garden.

During these tours, we learn that theHôtel de Rochechouart was built at the request of the Marquise de Courteille for her only daughter, wife of the Comte de Rochechouart, in 1776, and it was in 1829 that the hotel was handed over to the Ministry of Public Instruction, an institution that had just been created to replace theimperial university.

The Hôtel boasts a magnificent library dating back to 1858, which you can explore over the weekend, along with the lounges used by the Minister and his assistants on a daily basis. You can also visit the Minister's office, which was for a long time attached to the library, before being transferred to the salon d'honneur on the first floor, adjoining the 1,300-square-meter garden, which was refurbished in 2002.

Here is the Heritage Days 2026 program at the Ministry of National Education and Youth:

Visit to the Ministry of National Education
Welcome to the Ministry of National Education. We are delighted to showcase the Hôtel de Rochechouart as part of the 2026 European Heritage Days.

Enjoy a route filled with activities, period re-enactments, and insights into the professions linked to vocational training. To enrich this experience, students from the École du Louvre will join the tour as guide–lecturers.
Eligibility: Free | No reservation required
Hours: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM | Sunday, September 20, 2026 — 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM