Paris

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Paris

Arc de Triomphe Les Invalides Luxembourg Gardens Montmartre Notre Dame Opera Orangerie Seine River Cruise 1976 visit

Photos from 2013 visit

 

Notre Dame cathedral, on the Île de la Cité

More Photos of Notre Dame cathedral

Paris’s monumental architecture, dating from throughout its long history, reflects the city’s political and cultural status. Among the most important older constructions are the Cathedral of Notre Dame, on the Île de la Cité, which was begun in 1163; the nearby Sainte-Chapelle, a magnificent 13th-century Gothic structure; the Louvre, once a royal palace; the Invalides, built as a soldiers’ home by Louis XIV and now housing Napoleon’s tomb; and the Place de la Concorde, laid out in the 18th century.

 

ècole militare
(Eiffel tower in the background)

 

ècole militare

 

Invalides
(contains Napoleon’s tomb)

More Photos of Les Invalides

 

Obelisk on the Place de la Concorde

 

the obelisk

 

Place de la Concorde

 During the mid-19th century Paris was redesigned under the direction of Baron Georges Haussmann, and several grandiose projects were undertaken to emphasize the city’s significance. The Arc de Triomphe, the Opéra, the Place de l’Opéra, the Place de l’Étoile (now Place Charles de Gaulle), and many of the broad avenues with their imposing perspectives date from this time.

Photos of Luxembourg Gardens

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Arc de Triomphe

 

in 1957

 

the Eternal flame in the Arc

Arc de Triomphe Photos from 2006

 

lighting the gas street lights (1957)

Photos from a visit in 1976

Photos from a visit in 2013

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church on Rue de Saint Lazare

 

Madeleine church

 

the Opéra

Among the city’s better known thoroughfares are the Rue de Rivoli, Rue de la Paix, Rue de Faubourg-Saint Honoré, Avenue de l’Opéra, Boulevard des Italiens, Boulevard du Montparnasse, and the Champs Élysées.

More Photos of the Opera

Photos from a visit in 2013

 

the Eiffel Tower

Toward the end of the century, the Eiffel Tower was built for the Paris World’s Fair of 1889; it is now the city’s most famous symbol.

 

Chaillot Palace

 

the Eiffel Tower (2006)

 

the newer skyscraper in Paris

 

Basilica of Sacré Coeur

The Basilica of Sacré Coeur, on the summit of Montmartre, was completed in 1910. Other important buildings include the Palais de Chaillot, Palais Royal, Palais de l’Élysée (now the official residence of the president of France), Palais Bourbon (the meeting place of the Chamber of Deputies), the Palais de Justice, and the Pantheon.

 

city government

 

Grand Palace, exhibition hall

 

on the Seine (2006)

All of the classic monuments of Paris, and indeed the entire city, have a surprisingly clean and fresh look, thanks to the rediscovery and enforcement, in the 1960s, of an old ordinance requiring all buildings to be cleaned periodically.

Text from Microsoft Encarta

 

artist quarter of Montmartre

 

same location 2006
 

More Photos of Montmartre

 

windmill on Montmartre

 

carousel in front of stairs leading to Montmartre and Sacré Coeur

 

wine storage sheds in Bercy

 

the pride of France, the TGV

 

the Concorde, part of its past pride

 

a great leader, honored in Paris

cheap Paris hotels 

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Arc de Triomphe Les Invalides Luxembourg Gardens Montmartre Notre Dame Opera Orangerie Seine River Cruise 1976 visit

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