The Heritage Days are eagerly anticipated each year by enthusiasts and curious minds hungry for exceptional experiences. This flagship cultural event on the European calendar invites us to discover our heritage in a different way through a rich program of visits, often free, and new activities for young and old. Museums, monuments, castles, churches as well as nothing but surprising places across the four corners of the Île-de-France region.
Moreover, you can imagine it: in Paris, an XXL program awaits you! It must be said that the City of Light, also known as a museum city, is brimming with fabulous treasures that captivate Parisians, yesterday, today and always. As the Heritage Days return for a 43rd edition, on September 19 and 20, 2026, what about spending this weekend to the rhythm of the exceptional openings?
Among the sites normally off-limits to the public that participate in the Heritage Days, you’ll find a number of ministries. These are often hosted in historic grand townhouses with stunning interiors. In the 7th arrondissement of Paris, for instance, you can embark on a tour of the Hôtel de Roquelaure, which currently houses the Ministry of Territorial Cohesion and Ecological Transition. Located on the famed Boulevard Saint-Germain, this hôtel particulier dates back to the early 18th century and has expanded over time. Discover its history through the exceptional program awaiting you for the Heritage Days!
FULL_VISIT_Visit to the Ministries of Ecological Transition and Territorial Planning
The Hôtel de Roquelaure, listed as a historic monument since 1961, currently houses the offices of the Ministry of Territorial Planning and the Ministry for Ecological Transition.
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Due to our popularity, we can no longer accept registrations for this weekend.
### The Hôtel de Roquelaure (1709-1740)
It was in 1709 that Marshal Antoine Gaston, Duke of Roquelaure, decided to settle in the Faubourg Saint-Germain, the new fashionable quarter, and he purchased the Hôtel de Villetaneuse on September 24, 1709.
In the early years he made only modest changes, but the Roqueles expanded the grounds in 1711. It was not until 1724 that the Duke of Roquelaure entrusted architect Pierre Cailleteau known as Lassurance (1655-1724) with plans for a new town house. He radically transformed the hôtel to enlarge it and elevate it to ducal rank.
After the death of Marshal de Roquelaure, the hôtel was sold in July 1740 to Mathieu-François Molé, the First President of the Parliament of Paris.
### The Hôtel Molé (1740-1807)
The hôtel took on the name of its new owner. President Molé, reputed to be a wealthy, well-connected, and somewhat reserved man, nonetheless valued a stylish interior and had new woodwork and paintings installed. He commissioned renowned painters: Jean-Baptiste Oudry and Charles-Joseph Natoire, who received a commission for four canvases. Through the Revolution, different generations of the Molé family inhabited the property. In 1793, during the owner’s arrest, Édouard-François Molé (guillotined on April 20, 1794) was seized, and the hôtel was converted into a hospital for those afflicted with scabies, then assigned to the Commission of Agriculture and Arts. In 1795, the Convention returned the hôtel to the family. The apartments were then leased to various individuals, including Count d’Hatzfeld and Baron Van Hoorn Van Vlooswyck, until 1807.
### From Cambacérès to the Present...
After succeeding Robespierre at the head of the Committee of Public Safety, Jean-Jacques Régis de Cambacérès (1753-1824) became, after Brumaire, Bonaparte’s right-hand man, essential to his fortune. He took over from Napoleon when the latter left the capital, ran the Council of State, represented the Assemblies, and organized justice. Cambacérès was the architect of Napoleon’s major undertakings. Rich and highly honored, Cambacérès was made Archchancellor of the Empire in 1804, Duke of Parma on March 19, 1808, a Grand Eagle of the Légion d’Honneur, and a member of the Institute... Jean-Jacques-Régis de Cambacérès bought the Molé hôtel in 1808. He added the Hôtel des Lesdiguières (later Sully), effectively uniting the two properties. He welcomed Europe to his hôtel. Official dinners were held here twice a week, organized for political ends in service of the Emperor. Like Talleyrand, Cambacérès knew that a good cook is worth an army, and the archchancellor’s table was among the most renowned of its time. The Archchancellor of the Empire resided there until his exile in 1816.
The hôtel was sold the same year to the Duchess of Orléans. From 1816 to 1821, Louise-Marie-Adélaïde de Bourbon-Penthièvre kept the hôtel as a grand, richly adorned noble residence and undoubtedly one of the Saint-Germain quarter’s most beautiful façades. Her children, the future King Louis-Philippe and Madame Adélaïde, would not live there.
In 1823, the Duke of Orléans proposed to Louis XVIII to swap the hôtel for timber in the Bondy forest and to move the Crown’s Arsenal there.
Under the July Monarchy, the hôtel housed the Council of State (1831) before being assigned to the Ministry of Public Works (ordinance of September 10, 1839).
The Hôtel de Roquelaure now houses the cabinet of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and Solidarity, whose central administration is centered in La Défense.
The history of the Hôtel de Roquelaure is thus that of an old townhouse in the Faubourg Saint-Germain that became the seat of a ministry. In this sense, it resembles many other hôtels of the district. Yet it is among the best-preserved, as successive occupants did not seek to alter the property deeply and were keen to preserve the historic interiors.
Thus the hôtel retains a certain classic rigor inherited from the 17th century. It stands as a precious testament to Louis XIV-era architecture. The richness of the rocaille-style decors in certain rooms, crafted by the ormolu craftsman Nicolas Pineau (1684-1754) and the architect Jean-Baptiste Leroux, makes the Hôtel de Roquelaure a unique place still resonant with the memory of its illustrious owners.
The 19th-century decorations from the Louis-Philippe and Second Empire periods—an attempt to harmonize with the other rooms—are also important and wonderfully complement two centuries of civil and public interior decoration in the same building.
All façades and roofs, along with the gate, the courtyard paving, and the garden, have been classified as historic monuments since April 29, 1961.
Participation conditions: Free, prior registration required, ID required, sharp objects are prohibited (cutlery, scissors, etc.). Water fountains are available, so remember to bring your refillable bottle! - Reservation required | Free - https://www.ecologie.gouv.fr/presse/journees-du-patrimoine-2026-lhotel-roquelaure-ouvre-ses-portes-programme-inedit
Hours: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM | Sunday, September 20, 2026 — 2:00 PM to 5:30 PM
Dates and Opening Time
From September 19, 2026 to September 20, 2026
Location
Hôtel de Roquelaure
246 Boulevard Saint-Germain
75007 Paris 7
Route planner
Access
Solférino metro station (line 12)
Prices
Free
Official website
www.ecologie.gouv.fr
