Galeries Lafayette Paris Haussmann - Stories Behind the Famous Department Store

 

Founded 30 to 40 years after its competitors, the modest 70 square meter shop opened in 1894 is today a very popular go-to place in Paris numbering 100,000 visitors a day. The store is expanding rapidly. Several styles follow on the facade: Haussmann, Art Nouveau, Art Deco to the drugstore spirit of the 1960s. This guided tour will invite you to stroll through the alleys of the Galeries Lafayette and discover its architectural treasures from the ground floor to the panoramic terrace. You will understand how the founders of the department store invented an architecture adapted to the needs of commerce. Your guide will reveal the history of the magisterial dome and then you will use the elevators reserved for the staff to access the top floor and admire the superb view from the terrace, a place conducive to anecdotes. Your visit will continue around the "double envelope of the dome", behind the decor of this metallic architecture, ending on the 1st floor where you will admire a vestige of the Majorelle staircase, which stood in the heart of the store until 1974.