JEP 2026 : visit the historic site of Inalco !
When: 19.09.2026 14:00
Where: 48.857744, 2.332544
Organizer: Admin
For more than two centuries, France has had a unique institution, open to all, devoted to the learning of languages and the civilizations of the five continents. The École spéciale des langues orientales, known today as the Institut national des langues et civilisations orientales (Inalco), was founded in 1795. At the time it was a new‑type school, public, free, dedicated to teaching living languages of public and commercial utility. At the beginning of the 19th century, about ten languages were taught, compared with a hundred today.
The theme “Heritage in Peril: Revive, Resist, Reimagine” of this 43rd edition of the European Heritage Days echoes this former private mansion built in 1716. After housing several successive tenants, the Hôtel de Bernage was assigned to the School of Oriental Languages in 1873, which adapted it to its new functions. Architect Louis Faure‑Dujarric took great care with the interior decoration, multiplying orientalist references.
The public will be able to discover this particularly unique building with its various heritage riches and enjoy a free, documented visit tracing the singular history of the institution renovated in 2019. Several architectural elements, including the floor mosaics, the monumental staircase, as well as the moldings and medallions of the historic salons, received the “Patrimoine d’intérêt régional” label from the Île‑de‑France Region in 2020. Visitors will also have the opportunity to consult the volumes of the Description de l’Égypte kept at Inalco, a monumental work resulting from Napoleon’s military campaign in Egypt.
Inalco, also known as “Langues O’”, today offers a unique expertise in languages and societies stemming from a centuries‑old experience. No institution, no country, offers such a diversity of courses, openness, and wealth of knowledge. The institution is an essential player in the promotion and preservation of the world’s languages and civilizations.
In parallel with the visits, one of Inalco’s student associations will offer an Arabic alphabet calligraphy workshop. A Speed searching – short presentations of research topics for the general public – will be carried out by a few doctoral students.
Calligraphy workshops by a student association of Inalco
The student association Assila invites you to discover the richness of scripts through a calligraphy workshop. This workshop will present the art of Arabic calligraphy, a true living heritage rich in meaning and tradition. It will give a glimpse of the linguistic and cultural richness taught at Inalco!
Speed searching – Meeting the doctoral students of Inalco
Several doctoral students from Inalco, trained within the Experimentarium program, will invite you to discover research in a different way. These short interactive meetings are opportunities to grasp the diversity and richness of the research carried out at Inalco today.
Since January 2025, Inalco has been part of the Experimentarium network, a national initiative for scientific mediation for doctoral students. This program was born in Burgundy twenty years ago and is now booming. It invites young researchers to step out of the academic framework, meet diverse audiences, and share their scientific approach in a simple, lively, and interactive manner.
Free activities, no registration required, subject to availability.
Source: https://www.paris.fr/evenements/jep-2026-visitez-le-site-historique-de-l-inalco-115728
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