Musée des Plans-Reliefs in the context of "Les Invalides"

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⭐ Core Definition: Musée des Plans-Reliefs

The Musée des Plans-Reliefs (French pronunciation: [myze de plɑ̃ ʁəljɛf]) is a museum of military models located within the Hôtel des Invalides in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France.

The construction of models dates to 1668, when François-Michel le Tellier, Marquis de Louvois and minister of war to Louis XIV, began a collection of three-dimensional models of fortified cities for military purposes, known as 'plans-relief'. The models gave particular attention to the city fortifications and topographic features such as hills and harbors. In 1700, Louis XIV installed the collection in the Louvre. Initially the models were constructed in the field, by military engineers, but in 1743, two central workshops were established for their construction in Béthune and Lille. A large number of models were built during and after the War of the Austrian Succession (1741–1748) to represent newly captured sites. The collection was updated in 1754, but then fell into some disuse; the final models built under the Ancien Régime were those of Saint-Omer (1758), and the fort Saint-Philippe aux Baléares (1759).

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Musée des Plans-Reliefs in the context of Hôtel des Invalides

The Hôtel des Invalides (French: [o.tɛl dez ɛ̃valid]; French for 'House of Invalids'), commonly called les Invalides ([lez ɛ̃valid]; lit.'the Invalids'), is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and an old soldiers' retirement home, the building's original purpose. The buildings house the Musée de l'Armée, the museum of the Army of France, the Musée des Plans-Reliefs, and the Musée d'Histoire Contemporaine. The complex also includes the Cathedral of Saint-Louis-des-Invalides, the national cathedral of the French military. It is adjacent to the Royal Chapel known as the Dôme des Invalides, the tallest church building in Paris at a height of 107 metres (351 ft). The latter has been converted into a shrine to some of France's leading military figures, most notably the tomb of Napoleon.

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