The Musee d’ Orsay

The Musee d’ Orsay is an art museum in Paris, France. It was built in the Old Gare d’ Orsay. Before being a museum it was a Railroad station. Inside the station there was all modern techniques, for example ramps & lifts for luggage, elevators for passengers, reception services, sixteen underground railroad tracks, and electric traction. From 1900 to 1939, the Gare d’ Orsay was the head of the southwestern French railroad network. In 1939, the station’s short platforms became insuitable for the longer trains and became useful only for the mainline services. After 1939, during the World war 2, the Gare d’ Orsay served as a mailing center for sending packages to the prisoners. The station became abandoned and was used as a set for several films such as The trial by Orson Welles, and The Conformist in Bertolucci’s. By 1973, the Direction des Musees de France was considering the installation of a new museum in the railroad station. All the arts from 1848-1948 would be represented in this new museum. The Musee d’ Orsay was rebuilt in the railroad station, Gare d’ Orsay, by Victor Laloux. On December 1st 1986, the new museum was inaugurated by president Fracois. It was opened to everyone on December 9, 1986. (Mills, Ian c.)

(These are some of the beautiful sculptures inside of the Musee d’ Orsay)

-Now in days the museum receives about 2.5 million visitors.

questions: 1. Why did the Direction des Musees de France consider into building a new museum instead of a new railroad station?
2. Does the Museum look exactly how the railroad used to bet with the same features, or is it completely different?
3. How much money was there converted into building the new museum?

Citations: Mills, Ian c. “Musee d’ Orsay, Paris”. Online: Discover France. 24, March 2010.
http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/Paris/Museums-Paris/Orsay.shtml
“Musee d’ Orsay”. Online: Paris. 1994. 24, March 2010.
http://paris.org/Musees/Orsay/info.html