Élysée Palace

The Elysee Palace on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore in the 8th arrondissement of Paris has been the residence and office of the President of the French Republic since 1848, permanently from 1873. The hotel particulier was built between 1718 and 1722 by Armand-Claude Mollet for the Count of Evreux in late baroque-classical style. In the 18th century its occupants included Madame de Pompadour and later Madame du Barry; in 1815 Napoleon Bonaparte signed his second abdication here after Waterloo. It takes its name from the nearby Champs-Elysees. Behind the wrought-iron gates lie reception salons, the Salle des Fetes designed by Eugene Viollet-le-Duc, and a four-hectare garden. Public access is limited to the Journees du Patrimoine in September; otherwise visitors mostly see police and black limousines lined up at the gate.