Pierrefitte-sur-Seine · Seine-Saint-Denis

National Archives — Exhibition Hall, Pierrefitte-sur-Seine

French name: Archives nationales — salle d'exposition de Pierrefitte-sur-Seine

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Always free

Free admission

Always freeFree every day

Closed: Sat, Aug 1, 2026 – Sat, Aug 15, 2026

Closed: Wed, Dec 23, 2026 – Sat, Jan 2, 2027

Address

59 rue Guynemer, 93380 Pierrefitte-sur-Seine

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Opening hours

Mon–Sat 09:00-16:45 · Public holidays Closed

Step-free access

Step-free access throughout

Opened to the public on 21 January 2013, the Pierrefitte-sur-Seine site is the largest archive centre in Europe. Designed by Massimiliano Fuksas, the building runs 160 metres long and 38 metres high over ten levels, partly clad in anodised aluminium, a short walk from the terminus of métro line 13 and from Paris 8 university. It holds the public archives produced since 1789: executive and legislative power, Interior and Justice, Education, Culture and Social Affairs, regional planning, along with many private collections. Its exhibition hall, however, is not reserved for researchers: it is aimed at everyone and costs nothing to enter. On permanent display is "Les Archives explorent le temps", a route through some sixty documents and objects backed by multimedia displays. A long timeline traces the evolution of archive media since antiquity, then seven thematic sections cover republican law, Paris and its territory, the identification of the population, the administrative traces a life leaves behind, recorded testimony, intimate archives and political symbols; three further focus displays deal with technical innovation, archive professions and the people who consult the collections. Temporary exhibitions are added regularly, and the site also runs guided tours and workshops. Practical notes: open Monday to Saturday from 9.00 to 16.45, closed on Sundays and public holidays. Under the Vigipirate security plan a guard searches bags, and luggage larger than 55 × 35 × 20 cm is not admitted; free self-service lockers are provided. The site is step-free for visitors with reduced mobility — reading room, exhibition hall and auditorium — and five reserved parking spaces face 59 rue Guynemer. One caveat: the official calendar announces a summer closure from 1 to 15 August 2026 and a winter closure from 23 December 2026 to 2 January 2027. Those dates are published for the reading rooms, but they very probably apply to the whole building, so call +33 1 75 47 20 00 before travelling during those periods.

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