Heritage Days 2025 at the Hôtel Gouthière - Conservatoire Hector Berlioz in Paris, the program

The Journées Européennes du Patrimoine 2025, on September 20 and 21, opens the most unexpected doors in Paris! Head for the Hôtel Gouthière, a little-known 18th-century edifice designed by the royal chaser-gilder Pierre Gouthière. Tucked away in the heart of the 2nd arrondissement, this historic pavilion now houses the Hector Berlioz Conservatoire... and it's just waiting for you to reveal its secrets!

Put an end to tourist clichés and over-zealous visits! On September 20 and 21, 2025, the Journées Européennes du Patrimoine (European Heritage Days) invite you to immerse yourself free of charge in the history and places that shape our collective memory. Every year, this event, designed to bring the public closer to its heritage, opens wide the doors of remarkable sites, some of which are usually inaccessible. For two days, legendary museums, private mansions, institutions and confidential addresses reveal their secrets for a lively and surprising cultural experience.

Journées du Patrimoine 2025 in Paris and Île-de-France: a weekend at the heart of the world of music
The Journées du Patrimoine are also a musical event! Discover the musical heritage of Paris and the Île-de-France region, as well as the concerts scheduled for the weekend of September 20-21, 2025. [Read more]

In Paris's 10th arrondissement, there's a discreet address worth a visit: theHôtel Gouthière, now home to the Hector Berlioz Conservatoire. Behind a paved courtyard, this 18th-century neo-classical jewel, built between 1772 and 1780 by François-Victor Perrard de Montreuil, was the ambitious project of Pierre Gouthière (1732-1813), virtuoso chaser-gilder and official supplier to the court of Louis XVI. Its façade evokes a Greek temple, with a staircase guarded by two sphinxes and a tympanum adorned with two nymphs crowning a bust of Apollo. The bas-relief of the Triumph of Bacchus, attributed to Clodion (1738-1814), highlights the entablature. Partly listed as a historic monument since 1927, the building retains its First Empire decor - anteroom, salons and fireplaces - testifying to Gouthière's talent. In 1788, it passed into the hands of Nicolas Hercule Arnoult, who added gypseries, marquetry and murals. After housing a trimmings factory in the 20th century, in 1981 it became the Hector Berlioz Conservatoire, a leading music school attended by 1,200 students.