This weekend is France's 33rd annual 'Jours de la Patrimonie,' or 'Heritage Days,' with everyone encouraged to visit a wide variety of public buildings that are not usually open to the public, or usually have an admission charge.
In the past, the list has included even the Elysee Palace, home of the President as well as more ordinary buildings. Even with this year's heightened security concerns, which have led to some cancellations, the list is long.
TheLocal.fr has picked out ten of its favorites; to see them all, click HERE Their list includes chateaux, the Prime Minister's office, a chocolate factory and more, but perhaps the most unusual is the discovery that France has the world's oldest existing basketball court, in a YMCA in Paris.
Even more surprising is that the court, on Rue de Trevise in the 9e, was designed by an architecture apprentice of Gustave Eiffel. It was the scene of Europe's first basketball game, played in 1893.
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