21/50.- Paris, Hotel des Invalides

The construction of 'Les Invalides' began in 1670, in times of the Sun King, Louis XIV. The main purpose of the building was to be a hospital for retired and wounded veterans ('invalides'=disabled). The golden dome was designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart in 1706, and completed by de Cotte after Mansart's death.

This huge military complex played a definitive role in 1789, when the mob took more than 28,000 arms from these quarters. The revolutionaries used these arms to attack the Bastille on July 14th.

[Next »]