Also known as Beaubourg, it was named after the French President de la République George Pompidou who wanted to create a cultural centre for contemporary art, at the heart of the city. It was not well received when it opened in 1977 because its architecture (work of Renzo piano and Richard Rogers)was too avant-garde and looked like a refinery. It is composed of 7 above ground levels 70 000 square feet each and of 2 underground levels; it exposes what is traditionally hidden such as yellow hydro pipes/tubes and red elevators. It quickly became a gathering spot for tourists and Parisians alike. It is the third most visited places in France. In addition to the permanent exhibit of 1300 modern/contemporary pieces on a 140 000 square feet space, it has temporary exhibits, a show place/theatre, 2 movie theatres, a debate room, a huge library, and a space for youngsters. One gallery is reserved for contemporary architecture exhibits. The restaurant “George”, on the top level has a chic industrial décor and a spectacular view of Paris.

In 1971 a competition for this new cultural center attracted 650 entries. The winning project, submitted by the architects Richard Rogers, Renzo Piano and Gianfranco Franchini broke with architectural conventions by moving functional elements such as escalators, water pipes and air conditioning to the outside of the building, freeing interior space for the display of art works. The pipes and ducts are all color-coded: blue for air, green for water, red for elevators, yellow for electricity, gray for corridors and white for the building itself.

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Underground stations : Rambuteau, Hôtel de Ville,RER : Châtelet-les-Halles,Auto Park : entrances from rue Beauboug or rue des Halles,Handicapped public : reserved entrance by rue du Renard, reserved parking in Auto Park.

Last edited on Mar 9, 10 4:13 PM.
Contributors: Eric M. , Monique M. , Catherine F. Show History

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Marcia K.

Jan 2, 2011

Cool looking building...overrated. Why do people need to wait outside when the entire downstairs is open and could easily hold a few thousand people? They had a wheelchair but in order to get to the 4th floor displays we needed a firefighter escort to walk into the building's skeleton to use the freight elevator. Very inconvenient. We had a pass to view the museum but that only allowed us to view the permanent displays and excluded us from the more interesting displays by Kandinsky and others. Not well explained and not very tourist friendly! The Pompidou also houses the public library and hundred were queued outside waiting to get in...again not very welcoming. The exterior of the building was swarming with scammers trying to separate tourists from their money with a variety of scams. Over-all an unsavory visit.

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Gloria H.

Feb 2, 2009

Incredible place. Those who love art and culture can find there a retrospective of the last 150 years of art, including the most famous artists. But you also can enjoy cinema, music or discussions. If you're not a fan of museums you have to go anyway. Just the building is different of what you've seen before, and to go up to the top gives you a pretty view of the city (you can see Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower and Sacre Coeur from there). Don't forget to visit Pompidou if you go to Paris! http://www.centrepompidou.fr/

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Orla-Jo D.

Jan 1, 2012

I am not a modern art fan but I found the building itself so remarkable that it didn't really matter. Getting an escalator on the outside of a building was fun enough but the view from the top floor reviles that of the Notre-Dame without the wait or expense. Of course like most of Paris main attractions going off-season or at off-peak times is advisable.

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Marco L.

Jan 31, 2010

Le centre pompidou est un lieu étonnant mais pas si extraordinaire qu'il l'aurait pu. Ne pas hésiter à visiter le musée d'art moderne, si on aime l'art moderne. Et puis, tout autour, il y a Paris, une ville merveilleuse pour les touristes et les enfants de la bohème. Si c'est pour y travailler, c'est l'enfer...

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Phil M.

Apr 24, 2010

animation surtout les etés ,rencontre avec des fetards,en t'en que musicien il vau mieu jouer sur les quai de seine car les habitan appel ,les policier, au moindre bruit,a partir de 17h, beau beaubour es surtout un lieu de rendez vous pour les fetard,les teufeurs etc...................

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