The Palais Chaillot is located on the top of the hill of the same name, on the banks of the River Seine. There are several interesting museums in the Chaillot Palace, and the beautiful Trocadero park complex runs down the hill to the Jena Bridge.
In 1878, for the World`s Fair, the Trocadero Palace was built on this site. It had architectural features borrowed from Mauretania and Byzantium. Above the palace were two towers that looked like minarets. The Trocadero Palace did not like the Parisians, so it was decided to demolish it for the opening of the World Exhibition in 1937, and to build a new palace and park complex of Chaillot on this place.
The design of the Chaillot Palace was proposed by three architects: L. Boileau, J. Cadlu and L. Azema. At the place where the Trocadero Palace was located, they made a podium with an observation deck, which offers a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower. On the sides of the observation deck are two pavilions, which, like huge wings, cover the green terraces of the Trocadero Park, descending to the Jena Bridge. The Chaillot Palace is built in the Art Deco style, which is a synthesis of Art Nouveau and neoclassical styles.
Several museums are located in the pavilions of the Chaillot Palace. Here you can visit the Museum of French Monuments, which contains exhibits from the Middle Ages. The Museum of the Navy has many interesting exhibits, including a model of the ship Belle Poule ("Beauty"). On this ship, the remains of Napoleon were transported from St. Helena to Paris. The Museum of Man has an interesting collection of anthropology from different regions of the world.
In the underground rooms of the palace, under the slope of the Trocadero Park, there is the largest CineAqua aquarium in Paris. On an area of 3.5 thousand m2, 43 large-sized aquariums are installed, where more than 9 thousand fish and amphibians live. There are also aquariums, the length of which reaches 30 meters, and the height-15 meters.
