Paris Landmarks and History
Le Sacré-Coeur
The Basilica of the Sacred Heart that was built in 1870 and is at the top the hill of Montmartre. You can access the top of the hill by using the stairs or the Funiculaire (a little cablecar).Montmartre neighborhood is famous for its narrow streets and its street painters. The hill was the home of painters like Toulouse-Lautrec, Modigliani, Picasso or Van Gogh.
la Defense
In eastern Paris is la Défense , the business district of the city. La Grande Arche (the big arch) is the most iconic building. Inside the tower are offices.
Les Invalides
It was first constructed in 1670, as a hospital for sick soldiers. It is now the Army Museum After leaving the Invalides and crossing the Seine river, you will get to the Champs-Elysées. (the most famous street of Paris)
Moulin Rouge
Le Moulin Rouge is the most famous cabaret in Paris. It was created in 1889. That is where dancers started performing can-can(dance pictured on the righ)t.
La pont des arts
Le Pont des Arts .(bridge over the river Seine) On each side of the bridge, hundreds of locks have been placed. They are put here by couples who write their names on the locks and then throw away the key in the river as a sign of their love.
L'Arc de Triomphe
Napoléon ordered the construction of the Arc de Triomphe in 1808. The Arc is located on a roundabout - the biggest in the world - that opens onto twelve avenues. The Arc is located at the end of the Champs-Elysées, the most famous and most expensive avenue in Paris. The Arc de Triomphe was created to commemorate battles won by the French army. Under the arch lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. and there is an eternal flame burning
Le Metro
The most used transportation by Parisians is the underground railway, also known as the Métro. There are 16 métro lines and 5 suburban train lines, called RER There are over 303 métro stations in Paris. The metro was created in 1900 for the Exposition Universelle (World Fair). Most of the stations were designed by Hector Guimard in the style of Art Nouveau.
The pipes
The pipes on the outside of that museum have a purpose. The blue pipes are the air conditioning ducts The green pipes convey water The yellow pipes convey electricity The red pipes are for the elevators.
Le Louvre
from Place de la Concorde, you walk through the Tuileries garden to the Louvre Museum. The Louvre was once the Palace of French Kings until Louis XIV moved to Versailles. The Glass Pyramid was completed in 1989. The most famous painting in the Louvre is La Joconde, also known as the Mona Lisa. It was painted between 1503 and 1505 by Leonardo Da Vinci. It was stolen once by an old museum employee. It is protected by a thick glass.
La Concorde Square
la Place de la Concorde. is the biggest square in Paris. The old Luxor Obelisk - an Egyptian construction 3300 years old - was transferred to Paris in 1836.and stands in the middle of it. It was given to France by Egypt as a thank you for the work of Champollion, the first man to translate hieroglyphics. (Egyptian symbols found in pyramids)
History of Paris
2,000 yrs old Ancient tribe Parisi gave name to city of Paris Romans under Julius Caesar renamed it Lutetia (Lutece) Paris was founded on the "Ile de la cite" island Romans started expanding the city but German invasion at the end of the 3rd century caused major destruction After the fall of the Romans, ruler of France settled on island: Ile de la Cite Trade flourished; the Seine river provided protection and transportation Population grew; Paris was congested which led to diseases Kings shifted to new location where the Louvre was built Paris became center of culture and arts WW2 Germans occupied city from 1940-1944
les gargouilles
On top of Notre-Dame you will find the gargoyles. They were designed to convey water away from the roof . They were also built to scare the evil spirits away from the cathedral.
Most famous French Airport
Paris is accessible tthrough 3 airports but the most recent and biggest is Charles de Gaulle airport or DCG
Districts
Paris is divided into 20 districts called arrondissements. They are arranged in the form of a snail. Six arrondissements are on the left bank of the Seine river. Fourteen are on the right bank. In the middle of La Seine are two islands: Île de la Cité and Île Saint-Louis.
Le Velib
Parisians also use vélibs to travel around the city. They are bicycles that you can share throughout the entire city. It is free for the first 30 minutes.
Bastille
The Bastille was formerly a fortress. For years, it was used as a prison by the kings of France. On the 14th July 1789, during the French Revolution, the people of Paris broke in, released the prisoners then completely demolished the prison. The prison has been replaced by the Liberty Tower La Bastille became the symbol of French revolutions. Since 1790, the Storming of Bastille is celebrated annually on the 14th July . Bastille Day, is the major French public holiday. Every year, there is a military parade from the Arc of Triumph, down the Champs Elysées, and there is a flyover with jet streams in blue, white and red.
Notre-Dame
The Cathedral is located on an island on the Seine river and was used as the setting for the Disney movie The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. It took over two centuries to build Notre-Dame. In front of the cathedral is the Millenium point, also known as kilometre zero of French roads, that is still used today to calculate distances. It caught on fire in April 2019 and the steeple and roof are still under reconstruction.
Centre Pompidu
The Centre Pompidou was completed in 1977 and is named after a former French president. It is the largest museum of modern art in Europe. The Place Georges Pompidou, in front of the centre is usually the scene of street performers such as mimes, jugglers, singers
The Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889 for l'Exposition Universelle (The World Fair) and was supposed to be dismantled at the end of the fair. The Eiffel Tower is 324 metres high. You can access the first and second levels by using the stairs or the elevators. You can access the third level only by using the elevator. the Eiffel Tower lights up and sparkes for 5 minutes at midnight
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles was the home of French kings and queens. In 1682, Louis XIV moved from the palace of the Louvre to Versailles to suit his dreams of grandeur. However in 1789, during the French revolution, the king, Louis XVI, his wife Marie Antoinette and their family had to move back to the city.One of the most important features of the palace is the Gallery of Mirrors, where the king asked for everything to be covered in gold. The gardens of Versailles represent one of the best example of jardin à la française.(French -style garden) Versailles also features five chapels and the domain of the Queen called Le Trianon. Le Trianon is located opposite the palace and was the private domain of Marie Antoinette, where you can find her little palace, a Jardin à l'anglaise (English-style garden) and a farm.
