La Monnaie de Paris Freshly minted

The new Monnaie de Paris, renamed 11 Conti, took advantage of its recent redesign to reveal both its secrets and architectural heritage, some accessible to the public for the first time. According to Aurélien Rousseau, CEO of La Monnaie de Paris, the MétaLmorphose project has achieved its aim of giving tangible form to the “link between arts and crafts, culture and our industrial mission.”

After opening its contemporary art display rooms to showcase work by designers associated with the Monnaie in 2014, in their buildings on the banks of the Seine, along with a bookstore and Guy Savoy restaurant, next up was the organization of the workshops and museum. They decided to shake things up by showing some of the 150 workers and craftspeople in action at the city’s oldest industrial site, where they produce special edition coins, medals, decorations, jewelry and objets d’art. The legal tender used in France and other countries is minted in Pessac, near Bordeaux.

As you move through the galleries, large glass windows reveal the casting, patina-application, engraving and stamping workshops. The “actors” play themselves – this is no stage set! – and their invaluable skills are genuine. Each room explores a specific topic, offering an insight into the Monnaie’s past and present. Visitors learn lots of fascinating facts – about minerals, chemical principles, numismatics and artistic casting – and get to see the jaw-dropping coins made by the Monnaie de Paris, along with treasures (real ones!) found underwater, underground or behind a wall, just like in a novel. Equipped with interactive terminals, video screens, and sound and vision gismos, the displays make you feel like you’re actually in a workshop.