Heritage Gems at the Paris Olympic Games

The Olympics hearken back to the sporting traditions of Ancient Greece. At this year’s Paris Olympics, athletes will be competing at venues that are themselves steeped in history. Before the first Olympians take their marks this weekend, explore the stories behind some of the extraordinary French monuments and World Monuments Fund (WMF) project sites playing host to the 2024 Games.

The Palace of Versailles

An extraordinary symbol of French political power and former home of the royal family, Versailles will welcome athletes and audiences for the Paris Olympics’ modern pentathlon and equestrian events this summer. Roughly an hour outside of the city, Versailles was the favorite residence of King Louis XIV in the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. The king even moved his court from Paris to this country estate, making Versailles the de facto capital. 

With its expansive gardens, opulent decoration, and connections to some of the most tumultuous moments in French history, Versailles is one of the most-visited heritage sites in the world, welcoming almost 10 million visitors each year. The palace’s age and popularity among tourists have also increased its need for conservation work.
 
Versailles has been the subject of several WMF interventions over the years. In 2001, we completed restoration of the Queen’s Theater, which was designed by Queen Marie-Antoinette's personal architect and is widely considered one of the most beautiful historic theaters in Europe. Thanks to our work stabilizing the theater’s structural elements and interior restoration, the space is open for special events once again. We’ve also restored another building important to the Queen: Versailles’ Belvedere Pavilion. Once used as a music room by Marie-Antoinette, the Pavilion’s elegant neoclassical design and English garden reflect the latest fashions of the time. 

More recently, WMF has completed the exterior restoration of the ancient blacksmith's forge at the Potager du Roi, the kitchen garden that once supplied produce to the French royal court. In addition to this, our work at the Potager aligns perfectly with our overall climate initiative. In partnership with the École Nationale Supérieure de Paysage, we are building upon the horticultural innovations of the Potager du Roi's expert gardeners by creating a center of excellence for climate-resilient gardening. Around the world, our Cultivating Resilience program will develop and share this knowledge to help historic green spaces adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Hôtel des Invalides

The 2024 Olympic archers will take aim beneath the gleaming dome of the Hôtel des Invalides, while runners in the men's and women’s marathons will use the landmark as their finish line. Now home to the sarcophagus of Napoleon Bonaparte, the Hôtel des Invalides has been a fixture of Paris’s skyline since the seventeenth century, when it served as an infirmary and shelter for war veterans. 

The Hôtel has suffered significant wear and tear over the centuries. When the complex was raided during the French Revolution, the original wooden model was dismantled. Over time, the chapel’s wall paintings also began detaching from the surfaces they were painted on. In addition to restoring these paintings, WMF’s conservation team also reconstructed the original baroque molding, which had also been removed during the Revolution.

Other Parisian Marvels

As well as exploring the Invalides and Versailles, this summer’s Olympics are an opportunity to see many other French architectural marvels — from the Grand Palais, which will host taekwondo and fencing tournaments, to the Eiffel Tower, in whose shadow volleyball events will take place — in a new light. 

And as the Olympic torch made its way through the streets of Paris, it passed near the Church of Saint-Eustache and Notre-Dame—two other WMF project sites. These places, like the Games themselves, show the vitality of our shared heritage, capable of changing with time even as it ties us both to our past and to each other.

Discover more of our French affiliate's work here. 

World Monuments Fund's work at Potager du Roi has been made possible, in part, by support from The Gerard B. Lambert Foundation, The Robert W. Wilson Charitable Trust, American Express, and Tianaderrah Foundation / Nellie and Robert Gipson.

World Monuments Fund's Cultivating Resilience program has been made possible by support from The Gerard B. Lambert Foundation.

World Monuments Fund’s work at Notre-Dame of Paris has been made possible, in part, by support from American Express and The Selz Foundation.

World Monuments Fund's work at the Church of Saint-Eustache has been made possible, in part, by support from The Robert W. Wilson Charitable Trust and The Selz Foundation.