The Heritage Days are an opportunity for history buffs to travel back in time. From medieval monuments to major institutions, museums and historic buildings, many of them open their doors and reveal their secrets over the course of a weekend. In Paris, the Collège de France is also on board for this cultural ballet on Saturday September 20 and Sunday September 21, 2025.
Since 1530, the Collège de France (formerly the Collège Royal) has been home to researchers and intellectuals on the historic Marcelin-Berthelot site, just a stone's throw from the Sorbonne. As part of the Journées du Patrimoine (Heritage Days), this great institution invites you to discover its treasures and much more. After all, the institution's precious collections retrace no less than 2,000 years of history!
In addition to tours of the vaulted rooms and showcases of artifacts from archaeological digs in Gallo-Roman and medieval Paris, or theteachers' assembly hall, there's also an experimental science laboratory and a large terrace offering an unparalleled view of Paris!
For the European Heritage Days on September 20 and 21, 2025, the Collège de France is opening its doors to you for an exceptional tour of its two sites in the heart of the Latin Quarter. This itinerary will enable you to appreciate the richness and diversity of the heritage and missions of an illustrious establishment, dedicated for five centuries to the advancement of knowledge.
On the Marcelin Berthelot site, the Collège de France assembly room, where solemn deliberations are held, will be exceptionally open to visitors during these days. You'll be able to discover the institution's emblematic furnishings and decor, and meet the Collège de France's professors. The itinerary will also allow you to discover the Cour d'Honneur and the Cour Letarouilly of the Collège de France, the Marguerite de Navarre amphitheatre, the art deco rotunda of the physics-chemistry-biology building and the terrace offering a magnificent view of Paris. Books published by the Collège de France will be on sale and signed by their authors. Various souvenir items in the Collège de France colors will be available from the temporary boutique opened for the occasion.
On the Cardinal Lemoine site, just a few minutes from the Marcelin Berthelot site, visitors can discover the Institut des Civilisations. This brings together all the chairs, laboratories and research libraries of the Collège de France dealing with the great civilizations of the past and the societies studied by anthropology and ethnology. You can access the building's garden level, as well as the Byzantine and Ottoman libraries. A series of 30-minute mini-conferences will be given by Collège de France professors, subject to prior registration, reflecting the variety of fields and research covered by the institution's chairs. Each lecture will be followed by a book signing session.
A children's trail, in the form of a booklet-game, will enable children to discover the history of the Collège de France through riddles and questions, on the two sites open to visitors.
Program and access conditions
Two Collège de France sites are open on Saturday September 20 and Sunday September 21, 2025, from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm: the Marcelin-Berthelot site (11, place Marcelin-Berthelot) and the Cardinal-Lemoine site (52, rue du Cardinal-Lemoine).
Marcelin-Berthelot site
Free-access tour of the site, including the Collège de France assembly hall and access to the roof terrace of the research building.
Find out more and see details of activities:https://www.college-de-france.fr/fr/jep2025
To mark European Heritage Days 2025, Collège de France professors sign their books published by Éditions du Collège de France.
The books will be on sale at the temporary boutique opened for the occasion, along with various souvenir items in the Collège de France colors.
Program :
Saturday September 20th
11:00-12:00: Patrick Boucheron/Philippe Sansonetti
2.00-3.00 pm: Virginie Courtier-Orgogozo/Emmanuelle Porcher
3:00-4:00 pm: Jean-Luc Fournet
16:00-17:00: Luigi Rizzi
17:00-18:00: Philippe Aghion
Sunday, September 21st
11:00-12:00: Marc Fontecave
2:00-3:00 pm: François Héran
3:00-4:00 pm: Claudine Tiercelin/Karol Beffa
4:00-5:00 pm: Gérard Berry
17 h 00-18 h 00: Marc Henneaux.
On the occasion of the European Heritage Days, the Collège de France opens its doors to you for an exceptional tour of its two sites in the heart of the Latin Quarter. This itinerary will enable you to appreciate the richness and diversity of the heritage and missions of an illustrious establishment, dedicated for five centuries to the advancement of knowledge.
On the Marcelin-Berthelot site, the Collège de France assembly room, where solemn deliberations are held, will be exceptionally open to visitors during these days. You'll be able to discover the institution's emblematic furnishings and decor, and meet the Collège de France's professors. The itinerary will also allow you to discover Collège de France's Cour d'Honneur and Cour Letarouilly, the Marguerite-de-Navarre amphitheatre, the Art Deco rotunda of the Physics-Chemistry-Biology building and the terrace offering a magnificent view of Paris. Books published by the Collège de France will be on sale and signed by their authors. Various souvenir items in the Collège de France colors will be available from the temporary boutique opened for the occasion.
On the Cardinal-Lemoine site, just a few minutes from the Marcelin-Berthelot site, visitors can discover the Institut des Civilisations. This brings together all the chairs, laboratories and research libraries of the Collège de France dealing with the great civilizations of the past and the societies studied by anthropology and ethnology. You can access the building's garden level, as well as the Byzantine and Ottoman libraries. A series of 30-minute mini-conferences will be given by Collège de France professors, subject to prior registration, reflecting the variety of fields and research covered by the institution's chairs. Each lecture will be followed by a book signing session.
A children's trail, in the form of a booklet-game, will enable children to discover the history of the Collège de France through riddles and questions, on the two sites open to visitors.
Program and access conditions
Cardinal-Lemoine site
Free-access tour of the Institut des Civilisations, including the garden level and the Byzantine and Ottoman libraries.
Free access to the Institut des Civilisations, including the garden level and the Byzantine and Ottoman libraries.
Mini-lectures by Collège de France professors and book signings, subject to prior registration.
Saturday, September 20th
10:30 am: Anne Cheng, Montesquieu and China
11:30 a.m.: Vinciane Pirenne-Delforge, A brief history of the Greek sanctuary: between landscape and architecture
12:30 : Dominique Charpin, How does a new discipline emerge? Jules Oppert and the birth of Assyriology in the 19th century
1:30 p.m.: Denis Knoepfler, The Parthenon: still a lot of problems, but already some certainties!
2:30 pm: John Scheid, Sacred places and buildings in Imperial Rome
3:30 p.m.: Jean-Noël Robert, Le Voyage dans l'autre monde d'un philologue japonais à l'époque d'Edo (A Japanese philologist's journey to the other world in the Edo period)
4:30 pm: Thomas Römer, The Ark of the Covenant and its mysteries
Sunday, September 21st
2:00 pm: Françoise Combes, Why is the expansion of the Universe accelerating?
2:30 pm: Gérard Berry, Do time and computers mix?
3:30 pm: Bernard Derrida, The importance of fluctuations and major deviations in physics
4:30 pm: Laurent Coulon, The Chapels and the Tomb of Osiris at Karnak (Egypt): excavation, reconstruction and restoration
Find out more and see details of activities: https: //www.college-de-france.fr/fr/jep2025
To mark the European Heritage Days 2025, Collège de France professors are offering a series of 30-minute mini-conferences on their research topics.
The lectures take place at the Institut des Civilisations du Collège de France, 52, rue du Cardinal Lemoine.
* Saturday September 20
* 10:30 am: Anne Cheng, Montesquieu and China
* 11:30 a.m.: Vinciane Pirenne-Delforge, A brief history of the Greek sanctuary: between landscape and architecture
* 12:30 p.m.: Dominique Charpin, How does a new discipline emerge? Jules Oppert and the birth of Assyriology in the 19th century
* 1:30 p.m.: Denis Knoepfler, The Parthenon: still a lot of problems, but already some certainties!
* 2:30 pm: John Scheid, Sacred places and buildings in Imperial Rome
* 3:30 p.m.: Jean-Noël Robert, A Japanese philologist's journey to the other world in the Edo period
* 4:30 pm: Thomas Römer, The Ark of the Covenant and its mysteries
* Sunday, September 21
* 2:00 pm: Françoise Combes, Why is the expansion of the Universe accelerating?
* 2:30 p.m.: Gérard Berry, Do time and computers mix?
* 3:30 pm: Bernard Derrida, The importance of fluctuations and major deviations in physics
* 4:30 pm: Laurent Coulon, The Chapels and the Tomb of Osiris at Karnak (Egypt): excavation, reconstruction and restoration.
Dates and Opening Time
From September 20, 2025 to September 21, 2025
Location
Collège de France
11 Place Marcelin Berthelot
75005 Paris 5
Access
Metro Maubert-Mutualité (line 10), Odéon (lines 4 and 10)
Prices
Free
