Paris Invalides Grants Rare Access to Veterans Home

Paris's Hôtel des Invalides, famed for housing Napoleon's tomb and drawing over 1.4 million visitors annually, continues its 350-year mission as a home and hospital for wounded soldiers and war victims. This week, the institution granted rare access to reporters, revealing its ongoing role amid a state-funded renovation estimated at 100 million euros.

Founded in 1674 by King Louis XIV, known as the Sun King, the complex was created to provide long-term care for injured veterans, marking one of the state's first social welfare efforts. "It was an act of gratitude from the state," said Gen. Christophe de Saint Chamas, the Invalides governor. The site has endured through French history, from the 1789 Revolution to sheltering Napoleonic veterans and, in the 20th century, civilian conflict survivors.

Today, 64 residents receive specialized medical care on-site, including military veterans and Holocaust survivors. Among them are 101-year-old Ginette Kolinka and 98-year-old Esther Senot, both Auschwitz-Birkenau survivors who share their experiences with students to preserve Holocaust lessons. Senot, deported from Paris at age 15 in 1943, endured 17 months in Nazi camps, returning at 32...