Permanent visit tour by Didier PlowyCité internationale de la langue française - Château de Villers-Cotterêts
An unprecedented French adventure
The first permanent exhibition entirely dedicated to the French language, the permanent tour has been designed under the scientific direction of Xavier North, Barbara Cassin, Zeev Gourarier and Hassane Kassi Kouyaté.
"Games room" in the permanent visit tour by Didier PlowyCité internationale de la langue française - Château de Villers-Cotterêts
A tour of fun innovations spread over 1,200 m²
It consists of fifteen rooms divided into three sections: "A world language"; "An ongoing invention"; "A matter of state". It is supported by sixty innovative mediation devices and works on loan from partner institutions.
French, a world language
As if in an airport concourse, a large departure board invites visitors to embark on a journey into the "world language" that is French. Discover its relationship to the world, with its spread across different continents and its relations with other languages.
French, an ongoing invention
Thanks to the many devices on display, visitors can explore the way the language works, from the constitution of its vocabulary to the evolution of its pronunciation, via its standardization, but also in the variety of its uses and its capacity to constantly reinvent itself.
French, a matter of state
The status of a language always has a political dimension. In France the State has placed the French language at the heart of the political construction of the nation. The tour ends in the room presenting the Ordinance signed by François I in 1539 at Villers-Cotterêts, which granted official status to the French language.
Deconsecrated chapel by Benjamin GavaudoCité internationale de la langue française - Château de Villers-Cotterêts
Jewels of the Renaissance
End your visit in the Royal Chapel and contemplate its sumptuous, Italian-influenced sculptural decor before heading up the Queen's Staircase to the Cité library.
Learn more on the website of the Cité internationale de la langue française.