Design is given the freedom of the Cité

And to say they were making weapons here in the days of Louis XV…
Two centuries and few good ideas later, the Manufacture Royale has regenerated as the Cité du design. Horizontal, transparent and filled with light, La Platine certainly gets itself noticed: you can’t deny that. This unusual box-like structure houses a library, a restaurant, an amphitheatre, a series of exhibition rooms and even a materials library. You can’t imagine how many uses there are for translucent marble… At La Platine (it’s the restaurant’s name, get it?) you can have something to eat, sit and enjoy the soothing view of the vegetation in the glasshouse. All’s well with the world. Outside the Tour Observatoire can’t help but show off – mind you, those 32 metres are enough to make you dizzy. No sign of a derelict industrial site now: the Manufacture quarter is now fairly buzzing with brainpower and hyperactivity.

INCLUDED IN THE CITY CARD

All the info on how to get there and what exhibitions to see: www.stephanois-hors-cadre.fr