Life at the Hotel Majestic
On 16 September 1946, the Preparatory Commission for UNESCO moved from London to the Hotel Majestic on the Avenue Kléber in Paris, which had been given a quick refit following its liberation from the German occupation. Working conditions were not exactly ideal. The largest bedrooms were allocated to secretaries, several of whom had to share them and store their files in the wardrobes, while middle-grade professionals were put in disused bathrooms, where the only place to keep their papers was the bathtub.
This was UNESCO’s temporary home until 1958 when it moved to its present headquarters on the Place de Fontenoy.