The Grand Palais, located at Avenue Winston-Churchill, with construction starting in 1900, and finished quite quickly, with the main space 240 metres long[1]. Throughout the war, the Palais stay intact, and it was until 1993 that an reconstruction needed to happen. Some reconstruction took place between 1993 and 2007 due to a glass panel falling and damaging the structure[2]. Today, the Grand Palais has some interesting facts about it. One of the exhibits that is on right now is Vigipriate Planis, which is a series of art work. This could be due to the fact that during World War Two, the Nazis stole millions of dollars' worth of artwork from the Louvre, which was never discovered or seen again. Another interesting fact is that in 2017, the Grand Palais was used as the final destination in the Tour de France[3]. Located in the heart of Paris, the Grand Palais now also has a police quarters in the basement[4].

[1] "Grand Palais." Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Palais

[2] Ibid.

[3] "Grand Palais." Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia

[4] Ibid.

This destination is the 3rd stop on the Nazi-Occupied Paris: Entertainment Tour.

During the Nazi occupation in World War Two, the Palais was used as a truck depot, and displayed a collection of Nazi propaganda[1], making it a very popular spot during World War Two. The Nazis used it as a place of storage, but also for an exhibition[2], but it goes beyond that, back to World War One. During the First World War, it was used as both a hospital and a barracks[3]. Assuming this was public knowledge, it could have been how the German military stemmed the idea to use it for their own personal use as well. In the past, as well as recently, the Grand Palais has held many exhibitions that can provide useful insights as to what life was like during Nazi occupied Paris during the Second World War. In 2017, a collection of jewels from the Al Thani collection were displayed at the Grand Palais. Jewels in collection range in age from 1911 until the mid 1960s[4]. By having this collection on display, it can give people insight as to how the rest of the world that wasn't involved in the war was living. Another interesting exhibit that the Grand Palais displayed was that of the life a Jewish man who lived during the war with the display called Personnes[5].

While these exhibits did not necessarily take place during World War Two, seeing these from a later perspective can help give insight as to what life was like during this time. Surprisingly, although the displays mentioned were not specifically art displays, the Grand Palais was originally build in order to "promote 'the glory of art', which is what it will do during the Foire Internationale d'Art Contemporain, when 184 galleries from 25 countries rendezvous under its hallowed glass ceiling"[6]. The artwork displayed when the Grand Palais first opened still has some pieces on display today. These pieces allow those who visit the Palais to experience art of the early 19^th century, and the inspirations drawn from the Second World War. With the theme of our tour being entertainment, the Grand Palais allows people now to gain insights as to what life and entertainment were like during one of the most violent periods in history.

[1] Ibid

[2] "Flac, Paris – October 24-27." The Financial Times, 2013.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Trouilloud, Julia. "Indian Jewels Illuminate the Grand Palais: Joyaux de La Collection Al Thanl, Grand Palais,

Paris, March 29-June5, 2017." Marg, A Magazine of the Arts, 2017

[5] Dalley, Jan. "The Lights Are on but Nobody's Home." The Financial Times, 2010.

[6] "Flac, Paris – October 24-27." The Financial Times, 2013.

Resources

Dalley, Jan. "The Lights Are on but Nobody's Home." The Financial Times, 2010.

"Discover the Grand Palais" M. http://www.grandpalais.fr/en/discover-grand-palais

"Flac, Paris – October 24-27." The Financial Times, 2013

"Grand Palais." Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. http://wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Palais

Trouilloud, Julia. "Indian Jewels Illuminate the Grand Palais: Joyaux de La Collection Al Thanl,Grand Palais, Paris, March 29-June5, 2017." Marg, A Magazine of the Arts, 2017.