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Origin and history

The Colbert Hotel is a mansion built in the 4th quarter of the 18th century, located at the corner of the Rue de l'Hôtel-Colbert and Rue de la Bûcherie, in the 5th arrondissement of Paris. Its street façades and corresponding roofs were listed as historical monuments in 1957. The building features a typical architecture of the time, with three levels above the ground floor, carved garlands on the first floor and draperies on the second floor. A notable feature is its blind gable decorated with trompe l'oeil windows in the inner courtyard.

The hotel gave its name to rue des Rats in 1829, after a mobilization of the residents, although there was no document confirming that it belonged to Jean-Baptiste Colbert, minister of Louis XIV. In the 20th century, it housed the Russian library Tourguenev from 1938, whose collections were plundered by the Nazi organization Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg during the Second World War. The building was not returned to the library after the conflict.

On the architectural level, the main entrance at 7 rue de l'Hôtel-Colbert leads to a courtyard closed by a gate. The last level is marked by a large gable pierced by a window, topped by a curved pediment. Decorative reliefs, such as garlands and draperies, highlight the elegant style of the late eighteenth century. Today, the Colbert Hotel is a private property, without regular public access.

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