Monnaie de Paris

The Monnaie de Paris, situated on the Quai de Conti along the left bank of the Seine, is the oldest institution in France still operating on its original site. Founded in the ninth century and occupying its current neoclassical building since 1775, it served for centuries as the principal mint of the French Republic, producing coins and medals that circulated across the country and its territories. Today it functions as a living museum, where visitors can explore the history of French coinage, observe craftspeople at work in the ateliers, and move through galleries that trace the relationship between money, power, and artistic craft.

The current programme features Operation M.I.D.A.S, an immersive experience that draws on the building's long association with gold and the transformation of raw material into currency. The Monnaie de Paris occupies a rare position in the city: a working institution that has opened its historic interiors to the public without abandoning the craft traditions that have defined it for more than a millennium.