For the second of our visits during the recent Open House weekend we went to the rarely visited headquarters of the Caisse des Dépôts, just near the Musée d’Orsay. Housed in the beautiful Hôtel de Pomereu, there’s an amazing entrance, some spectacular rooms and even a hidden garden! This way…

It was during our visit to the French Senate that our guide whispered us a secret: we absolutely had to see the Caisse de Dépôts too, a place that – frankly – we’d never heard of. Hidden behind giant wooden doors in a huge building on rue de Lille, the original building dates from the time of Louis XIV. However, it partially burnt down and was reconstructed at the end of the 19th century. Since 1947, it belongs to the state. You can read the full histoiry of the place (in French) here.

The ceremonial stairway, certain paintings and many of the rooms are now listed as historic monuments. What an amazing place to work in!
The official site (all in French, alas) has a detailed history, room by room, that you can read here.

To have a look at all our photos, click the play button on the slideshow below, then click the four little arrows bottom right to go into fullscreen mode (much more comfortable).

Our third and final visit for the Open House weekend 2010 will impress you too hopefully. It’s a place that has a link with this hotel. Can you guess what it is?