Since the end of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the future of the famous Olympic and Paralympic cauldron has been intriguing. One of the striking symbols of the event, which lit up the Tuileries and amazed the public, could find a new home at Hangar Y, located in Meudon in the Hauts-de-Seine department. In any case, this is what our colleagues in Le Parisien report in a dedicated article. A bid currently being evaluated could make this a reality by summer, offering a new destination for this ephemeral monument.
Hangar Y, designed by Gustave Eiffel in 1878, has a number of historical and technical assets that make it a serious contender. The site, once dedicated to airships and then transformed into an artistic and scientific space after its reopening in 2023, recently hosted a visit from Mathieu Lehanneur, the designer of the cauldron, to assess its compatibility with the installation. " We've applied to host it," confirms Jean-Michel Crovesi, Hangar Y's general manager, also to Le Parisien. He continues:"The Hangar would be a wonderful showcase. It would make sense, but for the time being, we have no indication one way or the other ". The application has been submitted to the Île-de-France prefecture, and a meeting has been scheduled for December to examine the conditions required.
The choice of site must also take financial considerations into account, with the annual maintenance cost of the cauldron estimated at one million euros, with re-commissioning costs reaching 2.5 million euros. A travelling exhibition seems unlikely, given the high costs of each re-inflation, estimated at 300,000 euros. A final decision on the future location of the Olympic and Paralympic cauldron is expected shortly. But there is still hope of seeing the cauldron floating in the air (without a flame).
