Relief map museum
Discover the Museum of Relief Maps: a unique collection of historical scale models charting over two centuries of military history.
Relief maps were invented in the 17th century when Louvois, Louis XIV's Minister of War, commissioned Vauban to make a scale model of the city of Dunkirk. The Museum, now run by the Ministry of Culture and located within the Hôtel des Invalides, offers 28 examples of a collection of relief maps of fortified towns, made between 1668 and 1875. These impressive models were used as strategic planning tools and symbols of mastery of the territory.
The Museum of Relief Maps is accessible with a Musée de l'Armée admission ticket, as is the Museum of the Order of the Liberation.