Notre-Dame de Paris Exhibition Takes Visitors On Immersive Journey Throurgh French History

WASHINGTON, DC — Anyone who has visited the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. can attest that its Grand Hall is one of the most beautiful and largest indoor gathering spaces in the District.

It's huge. But is the museum big enough to hold a whole building inside?

Thanks to the immersive Notre-Dame de Paris: The Augmented Exhibition, museum visitors may imagine they're walking inside and around the famous cathedral in Paris. The exhibition, which runs through Sept. 26, is made possible by a collaboration between the French start-up Histovery and the Public Institution in charge of the conservation and the cathedral's recent restoration.

"I feel like we're the just the right museum for this, because it's really about process," said Cathy Frankel, vice president of exhibitions at the museum. "We always like to talk about how we are not just about the final product of a building, we're about the process of building it and all those industries involved.

Handheld "HistoPad" tablets allow visitors to take an immersive and interactive journey from the church's origins in medieval times to its post-fire restoration in the present day.

"They usually do these tablets for historic churches and castles in Germany and in France, but they are trying to expand," Frankel said."They partnered with L'Oreal Paris, who was the number one corporate funder of the restoration of Notre Dame, to create this to get the word out about what's going on at Notre Dame."

The exhibit starts with the 2019 fire and goes back to the 1100s, when the site was chosen and initial work began for the cathedral.

"There were a few changes over time and then the fire and now restoration," Frankel said. "It gives you that whole process and talks about the workmen, the carpenters and masons and the engineers do some great animations about how you create a vaulted ceiling, which is super fascinating and how that works."

But the exhibit offers more than construction and repairs. It takes the visitor on trip through time with stops illustrating how Notre Dame served as the stage for signifiant events, from an arranged royal wedding to the coronation of Napoleon.

The HistoPad uses text, photos and animation to tell the story of Notre Dame. There's even a puzzle game where children can seek out pieces throughout the exhibit and 360-degree panoramas that put you in the center of a historical reenactments.

"What's interesting with Notre Dame is that it's such an icon. It's this thing that existed has existed for many, many lifetimes," Frankel said.

Notre-Dame de Paris: The Augmented Exhibition runs through Sept. 26 at the National Building Museum, which is located at 401 F St. Northwest, Washington, DC 20001. The museum is located across the street from the Judiciary Square Metrorail Station. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7:for Youth (ages 3-17), Student with ID, Senior (ages 60+).