Scavenger hunt through Paris
On our joint trip to the production site of the famous SELMER saxophones, we all experienced personal adventures. Cedric Mosberger is here to tell us all about his own incredible adventure – a scavenger hunt right in the heart of Paris!
“Hello Reiner and everyone else!
Once again, a huge thank you for letting me come along and see the “holy halls” where MY saxophone was built.
It’s hard to put into words how incredible it was for me, someone who has always wanted to see where my saxophone was built, to finally make my dream come true! I now see my saxophone with completely different eyes! I feel so lucky to have met the people who assembled it and to have learned more about its history.
But the best was yet to come! Outside the factory tour, I had an absolutely special highlight: During my five-day stay in Paris, I also looked for this old store of Henri Selmer, where history was made with his beginnings in Paris. I was eager to find the store that became so famous on posters featuring Henri himself standing in front of his door.
I had found some clues and was excited to narrow down the area where this store could be found. I didn’t have an exact address or I had addresses that couldn’t be right. The clues were a bit confusing, but that just added to the fun! I got around a lot in Paris during those days and covered several kilometers every day, which was great!
In between, I also wondered whether today’s atelier could be the place, but in principle that was also illogical… On the day of the tour of the incredible SELMER factory, I made an amazing discovery! I noticed something upstairs in the corridor in front of the mouthpiece production premises that immediately caught my attention. There was a picture on the wall that I hadn’t seen before. It was a picture of the historic store or workshop of Henri SELMER, but from a completely different perspective.
The picture shows a square and a theatre in front of the store. I immediately thought, “That looks familiar!”
So on Monday, after the tour, I went back to the place I had actually walked past several times a day, as it was about 50 meters from my hotel (!). I was so excited to finally explore this fascinating spot!
Guess where I was sitting and thinking about the store? Right here! This is the spot where Henri Selmer’s store was located and where he made saxophone history. It’s an unassuming, empty store, but you can still see the old front. It’s incredible how this place marks the beginning of the modern saxophone!
For me, it was like a continuation and an enchanted place where you could still feel the spirit and history of Selmer! And if you know it, you’ll recognize this place immediately!
The address today is 4 pl. Charles Dullin, 75018 Paris, France – a great spot for visitors planning another tour of Paris!
Best regards,
Cedrik Mosberger”
I’m so excited to hear about your adventure on our journey to Selmer!
A big thank you to Cedric for this amazing report!
