4ᵉ arrondissement · Paris
Forney Library (Hôtel de Sens)
French name: Bibliotheque Forney (Hotel de Sens)
Free admission
- Always freeFree every day (part of the venue only)
Closed: Sun, Jul 19, 2026 – Mon, Aug 31, 2026
Address
1 rue du Figuier, 75004 Paris
Directions - Google MapsGoogle MapsApple Maps
Opening hours
Tue–Sat 13:00-19:00
Step-free access
Partly step-free — some areas are not reachable
The Bibliotheque Forney occupies the Hotel de Sens, one of the few medieval mansions still standing in Paris. Built between 1475 and 1519 for the archbishops of Sens, on whom the see of Paris then depended, the building served as a residence for Queen Margot before becoming a jam factory, a laundry and a warehouse; the City of Paris bought it in 1911, restored it at length and installed the library there in 1961. Forney is the library of the applied arts: fine art, decorative art, graphic art, craft trades, fashion, advertising and design. Its holdings are remarkable - advertising posters, wallpapers, fabric samples, trade catalogues, postcards, drawings and workshop models - and they feed a regular exhibition programme. Two different access regimes coexist, and this is the point to remember. The exhibition gallery is free and open to everyone with no formalities: it holds the temporary shows, a digital table on the history of the Hotel de Sens, and a view over the great reading room. The library proper is open only to registered readers; registration is free but restricted to adults and art students, on production of identity papers.