To restore to women the rightful place in history, the association HF Île-de-France is once again organizing the Matrimoines, the feminine and feminist strand of the Journées du Patrimoine. On 19 and 20 September 2026, enjoy a wealth of free cultural events in Paris and Île-de-France, to meet the great women architects, musicians, composers, painters, authors...
The Matrimoine Days are more than twenty events and a host of free, large-scale gatherings in the capital and its surroundings, organized for an exceptional weekend dedicated to meeting the remarkable women who helped shape France.
Get to know Gisèle Halimi, Violette Leduc, Françoise Pascal, Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt, Monique Wittig, Louise Labé, Barbara, Juliette Tréant-Mathé, Andrée Chedid, Charlotte Brontë, Mel Bonis, and many other artists from all eras and across all artistic fields.
Don't forget to reserve your place for each event you wish to attend. The Journées du Matrimoine program is available below.
Grands Moulins University Library — Paris Cité University
Tour of the Grands Moulins Library
Discovery of the architectural heritage at the Bibliothèque des Grands Moulins
Guided tours:
The former Grands Moulins in Paris, built between 1917 and 1921 by Georges Wybo, continued milling operations until 1996. After restoration and conversion into a university building by Rudy Ricciotti's practice between 2004 and 2006, the Grands Moulins still stand, in their exterior shell, as a powerful tribute to early 20th‑century industrial architecture. Today, the Grands Moulins Library, specializing in science, arts, humanities and social sciences, is an integral part of the Paris Cité University library network.
The tour lasts 1 hour and 30 minutes.
The last tour runs from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Exhibition “Dressing the Bread: The Bread Bag in Its Diversity”
A cornerstone of milling tradition, the Grands Moulins Library invites you, on the second floor, to discover an unprecedented panorama of bread bags from France and beyond. An approach that is both aesthetic and analytical, one that will leave you spellbound!
Participation requirements: 30 places - Free | No reservation required
Hours : Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Matriarchs' Trail: Discovering iconic women on the Grands Moulins campus
Heritage Trail: Discovering Iconic Women on the Grands Moulins Campus
Embark on a thematic stroll across the campus to meet the remarkable women whose names adorn university buildings or the streets that surround them—figures like Olympe de Gouges and mathematician Sophie Germain.
The tour lasts 1 hour 30 minutes.
Departures at 11:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
Participation terms: 25 places. The tour lasts 1h30. Departures at 11:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. - Free | No reservation required
Schedule: Saturday, 19 September 2026 – 11:30–13:00, 15:00–16:30
Festival Square
Argentine Tango Ball at Place des Fêtes
### Bal Tango Argentin
### with the Otro Tango Association
On the occasion of the European Matrimoine–Heritage Days, Le Regard du Cygne features an Argentine tango ball on Place des Fêtes, in partnership with the Otro Tango association and its instructors Valérie Onnis and Daniel Darrius.
Whether you’re taking part or watching, join us at Place des Fêtes!
This moment will be followed by an introduction to tango.
Participation requirements: Free | No reservation required
Schedule: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 4:30 PM to 5:15 PM
Intro to Argentine Tango at Place des Fêtes
### Introduction to Argentine Tango on Place des Fêtes
### with Valérie Onnis and Daniel Darrius - Association Otro Tango
On the occasion of the European Days of Matrimony - Heritage, Le Regard du Cygne is offering an introductory Argentine tango session on Place des Fêtes, in partnership with the Otro Tango association and its instructors Valérie Onnis and Daniel Darrius.
Whether you're a participant or a spectator, this rendezvous takes place on Place des Fêtes!
This session will be preceded by an Argentine tango ball.
Participation terms: Free | No reservation required
Schedule: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 5:15 PM to 6:00 PM
Through Trial and Error — A Choreographic Piece — On Place des Fêtes
### By Force of Trying – a choreographic piece
### La Grand Mêlée, in partnership with Nuit Cheloue
On the occasion of the European Days of Women's Heritage, Le Regard du Cygne presents a piece by La Grande Mêlée on Place des Fêtes at 6:00 PM.
By Force of Trying is drawn from a line by Fernand Deligny: “There are those who know how to speak after having listened, there are those who know how to act by trying.” Like that educator, his colleagues and the children in their care, we persist in striving to live, to create collectively, and in doing so, we learn. That is what By Force of Trying is about.
Participation requirements: Free of charge | No reservation required
Schedule: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Vaujours - Poudrerie Forest Park
Guided tour of the park's powder-mill heritage
Embark on a journey through Sevran’s National Powder Factory history by visiting the Technical Museum of Powders and Armaments. The tour continues with a unveiling of the park’s rich historical and natural heritage, a green space full of undiscovered treasures.
In partnership with the Friends of the Poudrerie Forest Park.
Meet at the Powder Museum.
Participation requirements: Registration is mandatory. Meet at the Powder Museum. Free admission | Booking required - https://parcsinfo.seinesaintdenis.fr/
Schedule: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM | Sunday, September 20, 2026 — 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM
Heritage Walk
Between its rich industrial heritage and the superb forested space that surrounds it, Parc de la Poudrerie appeals to all lovers of outdoor cultural outings.
As part of the Journées du Matrimoine et Patrimoine, we invite you to dive into the heart of this place where History and Biodiversity converse.
With Lucile Progeas, heritage guide
Meet at the Eugène Burlot entrance
Adults – Children 10 and up /
Participation conditions: Free, registration required. - Free | Booking required - https://parcsinfo.seinesaintdenis.fr/
Schedule: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Montreuil - Living History Museum
Women's heritage at the museum! — Conference
Conference: "The Poor Parisian Women Who Bore the Revolution (1789-1804)"
Poor women have not been mere spectators of history. Recent research on the French Revolution by Brigitte Dionnet reinforces this. A historian and museum administrator, she will present the work "The Poor Parisian Women Who Bore the Revolution (1789-1804)" drawn from her thesis.
Come and discover the role and status of common women during this period of political and social upheaval.
https://www.museehistoirevivante.fr/
Participation requirements: Free | No reservation required
Hours: Saturday, September 19, 2026 - 4:30 PM ⤏ 6:30 PM
The Matrimoine at the Museum! - Theatrical Reading
Rumor has it that women and science don’t mix well… Yet did you know a woman invented the first computer code in 1842, well before anyone else? Her name: Ada Lovelace. The Filles de Simone break the stereotypes and pay homage to this bold figure. Through a dramatized, dynamic, and musical reading, they blend history, humor, and feminism to celebrate her legacy.
Dramatized reading, based on Ada or the Beauty of Numbers by Catherine Dufour
Adaptation Tiphaine Gentilleau and Chloé Olivères
Inspired by Denis Moreau
With Tiphaine Gentilleau or Noëllie Thibault
PRODUCTION Les Filles de Simone COPRODUCTION PIVO & Jeux, Fête et Maths-Ville d’Eaubonne With the support of DRAC IDF and the Île-de-France Region
For ages 12 and up
Participation requirements: Ages 12 and up - Free | No reservation required
Hours: Saturday, September 19, 2026 - 6:30 PM ⤏ 7:30 PM
Montreuil - Tignous Centre for Contemporary Art
Living Walls
The involvement of visual artists, alongside architects and project owners, played a key role in shaping the modern neighborhoods of the 1960s and 1970s: art became an integral part of the urban space itself.
Beyond works integrated into public spaces or buildings, visual artists contributed to the design of landscaped areas, including street furniture and the color schemes of façades. Playgrounds often became their testing ground. In this collaborative framework, their contributions were rarely signed, and even more often erased during subsequent renovations.
The collective approach to these spaces is traced here through the example of the Croix-de-Chavaux quarter (Montreuil) and the Noue (Montreuil and Bagnolet), works by Serge Lana (1927-2011) and Claude Le Goas (1928-2007). As “architects-urban planners-advisers” to the towns of Bagnolet and Montreuil for decades, they helped shape the look of the two communities through bold urban projects and architectural achievements that this exhibition highlights as a generous, exploratory démarche.
These achievements, noted for their originality, result from in-depth urban studies, a commitment to lasting impact, and a multidisciplinary approach. The aim is to link theoretical research with technical and artistic experimentation, serving municipalities eager to innovate and build a high-quality living environment.
Thus, they established development companies (Semimo in Montreuil); a creative space emerged between developer and designer, while planning techniques remained tied to aesthetic considerations. This setup made possible the realization of remarkable buildings: the vertical Mozinor industrial zone, the conservatory, and the CGT complex at Porte de Montreuil.
The urban renewal operations at Croix-de-Chavaux and Noue stand out for the scale of artistic involvement: the sculptor Michel Wieber and painter Maxime Darnaud created landscapes made up of “living walls,” polychrome façades, and open spaces.
Exhibition commission: Gwenaël Delhumeau, Daria Horsch, Thomas Le Goff, Anne Touquet, Aurélie Thuez
Loans: Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine, Antoine Darnaud, © ADAGP, succession Maxime Darnaud, Médiathèque du patrimoine et de la photographie, Archives municipales de Montreuil
With support from: City of Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis Department, Est Ensemble, and the Ministry of Culture
Participation requirements: Free | No reservation required
Hours: Saturday, September 19, 2026, 2:00 PM–7:00 PM | Sunday, September 20, 2026, 2:00 PM–7:00 PM
Where's Our Money?
“Where’s our cash?” asks about the economic clout of women. While wage equality has been a theoretical right since 1972, the reality isn’t there yet. Women’s financial independence remains out of reach and shapes gender relations in profound ways. Why don’t women like talking about money, even though it is a key driver of emancipation? By bringing together artistic creations, literary texts and archival objects, the exhibition aims to break the money taboo and push toward true economic equality between men and women.
This exhibition runs during the Matrifold of Heritage Days and is on view from September 3 to October 24, 2026.
Participation requirements: Free | No reservation required
Hours: Saturday, September 19, 2026 - 2:00 PM ⤏ 7:00 PM | Sunday, September 20, 2026 - 2:00 PM ⤏ 7:00 PM
Workshop with artist Joris Valenzuela
Workshop – Latex imprints: revealing the traces of place
Through this workshop, participants will learn a latex casting technique to capture impressions from a variety of surfaces. Walls, stones, wood, or other materials become canvases for exploration, unveiling textures, reliefs, and details that often go unnoticed at first glance.
By experimenting with the process, everyone will create their own imprint and depart with a tangible trace, while gaining a new perspective on the heritage and the spaces that surround us. Drawn from my artistic practice, this workshop invites you to observe, touch, and preserve the sensitive memory of places.
Participation requirements: Limited to 14 people - Free | Booking required - https://exploreparis.com/fr/
Schedule: Sunday, September 20, 2026 — 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Pantin - Former tobacco factory
Exploring Pantin's industrial women's heritage
What role did women carve out in industry?
While they still accounted for nearly a quarter of the workforce in 1950s France, their history remains largely unknown. Cigarette factory workers, laundresses, line assemblers—women who fought for their rights—discover the Pantin-led story of these women. A visit that will take you to former factories around the city, following the places and trades that helped spur their emancipation.
Led by Clémence Bell, tour guide.
An initiative of the Seine-Saint-Denis Department in partnership with Seine-Saint-Denis Tourism
Participation requirements: Ages 12 and up; registration opens on August 17 — Free | Reservation required — https://exploreparis.com/fr/9963-a-la-rencontre-du-matrimoine-industriel-pantinois.html
Schedule : Sunday, September 20, 2026 — 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM, 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM
Châtenay-Malabry - Arts and Heritage Pavilion
Guided Tour: "The Countess's Secrets"
Embark on a guided stroll into the refined, spiritually aware world of the Countess de Boigne, a 19th‑century literary figure and memoirist who will share anecdotes, memories, and life fragments tied to Châtenay‑Malabry.
This walk brings you to the heart of the historic town center: old mansions, overlooked viewpoints, iconic spots, and corners heavy with memory. At every stop, speakers will show how still imagery has shaped our sight of heritage — how it documents, reveals, and sometimes reimagines the city.
Participation terms: Limited to 25 participants - Free | Reservation required - tourisme@chatenay-malabry.fr, 01 47 02 75 22
Schedule: Saturday, 19 September 2026 — 11:00 to 12:00
Guided tour: The Remarkable Women of Châtenay-Malabry
On a stroll through Châtenay-Malabry, follow in the footsteps of the women who left their mark on the town through their activism, creativity, or remarkable lives. This tour shines a light on often overlooked female figures whose influence helped shape the area, local life, and sometimes even national history.
Participation conditions: Phone reservation - Free | Booking required - 0147027522, https://passculture.app/offre/431347363
Schedule: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM
Painting workshop on the theme of "Creating matri-heritage" with Virginie Rasmont
The painting workshop "Matrimoine: Making invisible women's heritage visible" invites participants to explore the forgotten female figures in history. The workshop offers a sensitive approach that blends creation, transmission, and collective reflection. An art experience with a social purpose aimed at reclaiming women's place in our shared imagination.
Participation conditions: Limited to 15 participants — Free | Booking required - tourisme@chatenay-malabry.fr, 01 47 02 75 22, https://passculture.app/offre/431255551
Schedule: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM
Saint-Denis — Block 8
Orientation walk at Îlot 8 – Saturday – Renée Gailhoustet’s Îlot 8: a matri-heritage in resistance
Welcomed by local residents. A guided orientation trail with a booklet and information panels.
Terms of participation: Free | No reservation required
Hours: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Guided tour of Islet 8: "Renée Gailhoustet — a matriarchal heritage in resistance"
Welcomed by local residents. Only one guided tour, limited to 20 participants. Registration at ami.es.delilot8@orange.fr
Participation conditions: Limited to 20 participants - Free | Reservations required - ami.es.de.lilot8@orange.fr
Schedule: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 11:00 to 12:30
Self-guided tour with a booklet on Renée Gailhoustet's Îlot 8: a matri-heritage in resistance
Visit featuring an orienteering course open to the public.
Participation requirements: Free | No reservation required
Hours : Sunday, September 20, 2026 — 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Heritage Days 2026: The gold-medal women of the 2024 Olympics to be discovered at Porte de la Chapelle
The golden statues of the 'Women in Gold', unveiled for the Paris 2024 Games, are on display at Porte de la Chapelle for Heritage Days, on September 19 and 20, 2026. A guided tour offers a closer look at these remarkable women and the Olympic legacy in the 18th arrondissement. [Read more]
Heritage Days 2026 at Hôtel Gouthière – Hector Berlioz Conservatory, in Paris
The European Heritage Days 2026, on September 19 and 20, will lift the veil on secret and little-known spots in Paris, such as the elegant Hôtel Gouthière, an 18th-century pavilion designed by the royal chaser-gilder Pierre Gouthière, now transformed into the Hector Berlioz Conservatory. [Read more]
Journées du Patrimoine 2026 : a tour of the former deportation railway station in Bobigny (93)
The former Bobigny deportation station opens for the 3rd Heritage Days. Discover a once-classic station that, for 13 months, was transformed into a camp of horror—the departure point for 22,407 people transferred from Drancy to Auschwitz. Little altered, the site still bears the scars of 1944. [Read more]
Heritage Days 2026: explore Villa Savoye in virtual reality (78)
La Villa Savoye opens its doors free of charge on September 19 and 20, 2026, to mark the new edition of Heritage Days, with virtual reality tours on the agenda. [Read more]
Heritage Days 2026 at L'Abominable, the site of the former Éclair laboratories in Épinay-sur-Seine
Are you into cinema? Take advantage of Heritage Days on Sunday, September 20, 2026, to tour the shared film laboratory L'Abominable, housed in the former Éclair laboratories in Épinay-sur-Seine. [Read more]
So where do you start?
Dates and Opening Time
From September 19, 2026 to September 20, 2026
Prices
Free
Official website
www.lematrimoine.fr
