MUSÉE DE LA PRÉFECTURE DE POLICE (MUSEUM OF POLICE HEADQUARTERS)

Open Monday to Friday, 9.30am to 5pm. 3rd Saturday of each month: 10.30am-5pm. Free admission. Guided tour.

Housed in the Hôtel de Police in the 5th and 6th arrondissements, the museum traces the history of the Paris police force from the 17th century to the present day, through the presentation of over 2,000 original and eclectic works.

The origins of the museum

The Musée de la Préfecture de Police was created in 1909 by Louis Lépine from the exhibits collected for the 1900 Universal Exhibition. With a view to bringing the police closer to the population, the Prefect of Police wanted to convey to visitors from all over the world the humanity of the Parisian police force, through the presentation of portraits of prefects and heritage objects linked to the police. To bring these various elements together, Louis Lépine called on Alfred Rey and Louis Féron, two men attached to the secretariat of the Prefecture of Police, who in 1896 had written the Histoire du corps des gardiens de la paix and who, as soon as the Universal Exhibition was over, suggested the creation of a museum. The museum was officially inaugurated on December 20, 1909, in the attic of 36 Quai des Orfèvres. In June 1975, it moved to 4, rue de la Montagne Sainte-Geneviève (5th arrondissement), where it remains today.

The museum today

The museum's mission is also to present to visitors the rich holdings of the Archives de la Préfecture de Police, these two institutions forming the heritage department of the Service de la Mémoire et des Affaires Culturelles (SMAC). The SMAC, which also includes the Musique des gardiens de la paix (Peacekeepers' Band), contributes to highlighting the institutional history, professions and missions of the Préfecture de Police.

Free admission