College of France European Heritage Weekend: 21-22 September 2019

The College of France, in the Latin Quarter of Paris at Marcelin Berthelot Place, held a European Heritage Weekend on 21-22 September 2019.

The College of France, established in 1530, has a rich heritage in learning and research. It began as the ‘Master of Bookstores’ translating ancient works of literature with five readers: Pierre Danes and Jacques Toussain who read Greek; Francois Vatable, Agacio Guidacerio and Paul Paradis who read Hebrew; and Oronce Fine who studied mathematics. Its motto is ‘Docet omnia’ – he teaches everything.

For the European Heritage Weekend 2019, the College of France opened its doors to the public to show its 2,000 years of history from its construction to the new science laboratories opened in 2014.

The main attractions were the main courtyard, the foyer displaying architectural and archaeological items, the neo-classical architecture and busts, the statue of Guillaume Bude, the hall of professors, the Egyptian library, the Nobel Prize winners, the new chemistry and biology laboratories, and the terrace.

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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