Among the sights of Paris, which mostly belong to the distant past and have their own glamor, there is a different cultural and artistic center. The Georges Pompidou Cultural Center in Paris is where modern art and postmodern architecture come together to create a different center.
The cultural center we are talking about today is the beating heart of contemporary and modern art in Paris. It has a building that is the leader of high-tech architectural style in the world and has exposed its top and bottom to everyone.
Critics consider this building to be like a human whose heart and intestines are outside the body, but many architects also admire the boldness of the architects of this building.
Introducing the Georges Pompidou Center
As much as it is an architectural masterpiece, Georges Pompidou is an outstanding and important cultural and artistic center that attracts everyone from ordinary people to artists and art lovers and fascinates everyone with its bold architecture and different collections.
In the Center Georges Pompidou Paris, you will face the modern and contemporary art museum, the fascinating world of temporary exhibitions, the public library and the cinema. As the center strives to keep up with art and artists, it holds many temporary exhibitions to introduce new works.
Where is Georges Pompidou Center?
Center Georges Pompidou address: France, Paris, Beaubourg district.
Image from: Google maps
Access route to Georges Pompidou Center
To visit the Georges Pompidou Center in Paris, you can use the bus, metro and Paris regional rapid system.
the bus
To get to the Georges Pompidou Center, just take buses number 29, 38, 47 or 75. All these buses have a stop near this center.
subway
The following stations will take you to the cultural center of Paris:
- Rambuteau station on line 11
- Hôtel de Ville station on line 1 and 11
- Châtelet station on lines 1, 11, 7, 14 and 4
Image from: Google maps
Regional rapid system or RER
This public transportation system in Paris, which is similar to the tram (note that the Paris tram is different from this system), can be a good option to reach Georges Pompidou. Get off at Châtelet Les Halles station via line A, B or C. You will reach your destination with a short walk.
Image from: Google maps
The best time to visit Georges Pompidou Center
The best time to visit the Center Georges Pompidou is during the opening hours of the center. Also, working days and the middle of the week are better than weekends in terms of privacy.
The best season to visit the center is spring and autumn when Paris has a milder climate. Summer is not a good time to travel to Paris because of the school holidays and the heat.
Opening hours of the Georges Pompidou Center
Center Georges Pompidou France opens its doors to visitors every day except Tuesdays from 11:00 AM.
The closing hours of different parts of this center are different. For example, the museum and exhibition closes at 9:00 p.m., the children’s gallery closes at 7:00 p.m., and the shop and bookstore closes at 9:45 p.m.
History of Center Georges Pompidou
The idea of building an artistic cultural center in the mind of Georges Pompidou
To get to know the history of Georges Pompidou Center, we must first see who Georges Pompidou was and what he did. Georges Pompidou is actually the name of one of the presidents of France who was in charge of the affairs of France from 1969 until his death in 1974.
Image from: Lalsace
Mr. Pompidou and his wife were interested in art and its development in France. So they decided to build a center for art and culture that would house the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art with international dimensions and a large public library. They wanted to create a place for meeting different art disciplines and for people and artists to talk.
The idea of building such an art and cultural center first came from the art-loving mind of the president, but what a pity that she did not live to open this center and only her name remained on this structure.
Georges Pompidou Center in the hands of anonymous architects
In 1970, Pompidou held a competition between architects and designers to assign the design project of this center, which was well received. Among the 681 participants, two young, bold and unknown architects won and opened a new page in the world of modern architecture.
Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, the two architects of the Center Georges Pompidou, built the first center with high-tech architecture in France to start a revolution in world architecture. High-tech architecture is a symbol of technology and progress, and they are inspired by machines and use their technologies in their construction.
Image from: thenomadsketchbook
In this building, air conditioning pipes and channels and electrical wiring are outside the building and exposed. Even the beams and columns of the building structure can be seen. Also, there are movement paths in the outer wall of the building, which is one of the attractions of this center.
image from: metalocus
Opening of one of the largest modern and contemporary art museums in the world
The Georges Pompidou National Arts and Culture Center was opened on January 31, 1977 by Pompidou’s successor, Valerie Giscardsten, and in the presence of her husband, Claude Pompidou. As soon as it was opened, it was welcomed by different groups of society, from ordinary people to artists and architects.
The Pompidou Center does not set boundaries for itself. It considers itself a place for everyone and its goal is to eliminate inter-discipline and inter-generational boundaries. For this reason, it was soon included in the list of the five most visited monuments in Paris.
Georges Pompidou Center Architecture
Undoubtedly, Georges Pompidou is one of the most prominent and leading buildings from the point of view of postmodern architects. In fact, the Georges Pompidou building is the pioneer of High Tech architecture and the first building in the world in this style.
This center is one of the most symbolic architectural achievements of the 20th century, whose unique industrial beauty and unique architecture have made this center famous worldwide.
Image From: thenomadsketchbook
If we were to picture the appearance of the Center Georges Pompidou Paris, we would describe it as a glass and metal structure, flooded with light and shaped like a heart, with large arteries in bright colors.
The architects of this building imagined it as a real living being. The building was built in the Beaubourg district, one of the oldest districts of the French capital and the beating heart of Paris since the Middle Ages.
If we want to talk to you about the architecture and size of this structure with numbers and figures, we must say that the Georges Pompidou Center in France is 42 meters high and has 17,700 square meters of floor space and is one of the largest modern art museums in the world.
Piano and Rogers used four color codes for the building to bring it to life:
- Blue colors for airflow
- Yellow color for brightness
- Green for water circuits
- Red for stairs and elevators
Image from: Google maps
The visual signature of the Georges Pompidou building from the outside is its large mechanical escalator known as “Caterpillar”, which is designed in the outer space and is considered one of the main arteries of this building. In addition to providing access to all parts, this escalator also provides you with a unique view of the city of Paris.
Different parts of the Center Georges Pompidou
Museum of Modern and Contemporary Arts
The Georges Pompidou Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art is one of the largest collections of 20th and 21st century works of art. If you are into history and art, visiting this section will definitely be unforgettable for you. In this museum, you see symbolic works that deeply belong to the modern and contemporary era.
In the collection of modern arts, which belongs to 1905, you can see the works of Fauvism artists who created different paintings with pen strokes and sharp and unconventional colors.
The Fauvism movement caused the emergence of the main artists of the 20th century, and later caused the foundation of Cubism, Expressionism and Abstraction.
image from: Google maps
Public library
The public library located at the Georges Pompidou Cultural Center in Paris (known as the BPI) has been present since the birth of the center. This library is designed for public use and provides a wide range of reliable and scientific resources.
Image from: e-flux
Temporary exhibitions
The Center Georges Pompidou constantly adapts itself to the developments of the world of culture and art, therefore it organizes many temporary exhibitions.
The topics of temporary exhibitions are very interesting and diverse; From paying tribute to the greats of art and showing their works to the exhibition of children’s furniture and digital art, etc. Detailed information about these exhibitions can be found on the center’s official website.
cinema
The cinema of the Center Georges Pompidou Paris annually shows more than 100 films that are usually related to the exhibitions and events of the center (such as art films, retrospectives, documentaries and contemporary works).
The cinema also hosts special events, screenings and talks with filmmakers and artists.
Image from: Robertjuliat
Exhibition and conference halls
The Pompidou Center has several spaces for holding academic conferences, public lectures, round tables and educational workshops. These spaces are designed to facilitate intellectual exchange and are often linked to the Center Pompidou’s broader cultural and artistic programs.
Restaurant and cafe
The restaurant of this center has the same name as George. Georges restaurant is open from Wednesday to Sunday from 12 noon to 11 pm and has a unique and exclusive view of Paris.
Also, Central Cafe on the first floor can be a good option to relieve fatigue.
Image from: Beaumarly
store
At the Center Georges Pompidou store, which is known as a boutique, you can buy various works of art and accessories. The color code of the center, which we talked about earlier, can be seen in most of the store’s works and items. It is as if they are a representative of the Georges Pompidou Center.
The products that you can buy for souvenirs in this boutique are very diverse and include art supplies, stationery, books, posters, postcards, decorative items, accessories and toys.
Places of interest near Georges Pompidou Center
National Picasso Museum (Museu Picasso)
If you are a fan of Picasso’s works, visit this museum after visiting the National Center for Arts and Culture Georges Pompidou. The 17th century building of this museum is one of the lesser-known museums in Paris, displaying 5,000 works of art by Pablo Picasso and other art collections.
Apart from Picasso’s personal collection, you can see a wide collection of masterpieces designed by famous old and contemporary artists, such as a unique collection of paintings and sculptures, prints and engravings, and about 100 books with Pablo Picasso’s illustrations.
Image from: Google maps
This museum includes four galleries on four floors, which, in addition to Picasso’s amazing works, also displays the works of famous artists such as Edgar Degas, Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin, Georges Braque, Juan Miró, Henri Matisse and Henri Rousseau.
The distance from the Georges Pompidou Center to the National Picasso Museum is about 2.4 km (15 minutes).
Sainte-Chapelle Church
Discover the jewel of Gothic architecture, Sainte-Chapelle. If you have enjoyed seeing colored tilings and delicate and detailed old paintings in Iran, then Saint Chapelle Church with its eye-catching colored glass will definitely capture your heart.
Saint Chapelle Church dates back to the 13th century AD and was built by order of King Louis IX. In the 13th century, Louis IX bought sacred objects from the emperors of Constantinople, which had great material and spiritual value. In order to protect these objects in the best possible way, he built the Sainte-Chapelle church in the most beautiful way possible.
Christ’s crown of thorns and a part of his cross are among the most prominent works of Sainte-Chapelle church. Apart from its valuable works, the architecture of the church is very spectacular and is decorated with thousands of stained glass windows, arches with red and gold lines and beautiful sculptures such as the statue of the Virgin Mary.
The distance from Georges Pompidou Center to Saint Chapelle Museum is about one kilometer (7 minutes).
Image from: wikimedia
Paris Museum of Arts and Crafts
If you are a fan of technology and interested in the historical course of human developments and developments, do not miss the Paris Arts and Crafts Museum; Especially since it is very close to the Georges Pompidou Center.
This museum houses more than 80,000 objects and 15,000 designs, which includes a wide collection of scientific tools, inventions, and technological advances. The establishment of the museum dates back to 1794 and it has 7 different collections named scientific instruments, materials, energy, mechanics, construction, communication and transportation.
Some of the remarkable and amazing works of the museum are Foucault’s pendulum (a device to show the rotation of the earth), Lavazier’s laboratory, the first model of the Statue of Liberty, early automobiles and mechanical machines.
The distance between the Center Georges Pompidou and the Museum of Arts and Crafts of Paris is about 2 kilometers (10 minutes).
Image from: Google maps
The Louvre Museum
Is it possible for someone to go to Paris and not have any plans to visit the Louvre Museum? Surely you also know that the Louvre Museum is the most visited and famous museum in the world and hosts 10 million visitors every year.
By visiting the Louvre, you can travel back in time and see the most outstanding works of art, such as Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Also, for us Iranians, there is an attractive part of Iranian ancient works where you can clearly see the glory of ancient Iran.
The Louvre museum holds more than 350,000 works of art and history, which date back to the ancient civilizations before the 6th century to the 19th century.
The important thing is that you should not expect to be able to watch all the parts of the Louvre museum carefully in one day. To visit the different parts and unique works of art of the Louvre Museum, you need to plan carefully and dedicate several days to the visit.
The distance between the Georges Pompidou Center and the Louvre Museum is about 3 kilometers (12 minutes).
Image from: Saymedia
Temple Square
If after visiting Georges Pompidou you like to walk and relax in the green space, we suggest you to go to the Temple Square. Temple Square is a garden in Paris that dates back to 1857.
The square was the site of a knight’s castle in the Middle Ages and was used as a prison during the French Revolution until it was demolished in the 19th century.
This garden is built in English style and is full of exotic and rare trees such as American honey locust, golden tree, ginkgo biloba, 18-meter Turkish hazel and 17-meter Japanese pagoda tree.
The distance between Georges Pompidou Center and Temple Square is about 2 km (10 minutes).
Image from: Tripadvisor
Staying near Georges Pompidou Center
Choosing an accommodation that is close to the Center Georges Pompidou is a very wise thing to do. Because the Georges Pompidou Center is located in the center of Paris and close to many attractions and sights of Paris. In the following, we have brought you some of the best hotels in Paris.
Luxury hotels
- Hotel National des Arts et Métiers
- Hotel Duo
- Le Pavillon de la Reine & Spa
- Renaissance Paris Republic Hotel
Medium and budget hotels
- Hôtel Le Relais des Halles
- Hôtel Beaubourg
- Hôtel de la Place des Vosges
- Hôtel Paris France
Recommendations for visiting the Center Georges Pompidou
To have the best experience of visiting the Center Georges Pompidou France, read the following points carefully:
- In order not to waste your time in line to buy tickets for Center Georges Pompidou, buy your ticket online.
- Before you go, check the official website of the National Center for Arts and Culture Georges Pompidou to see what temporary exhibitions are running, some of which may require you to buy tickets separately.
- If you prefer peace and quiet, visit Georges Pompidou in the early hours of the day.
Note that Georges Pompidou is closed on May Day and Tuesdays.
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