History of Paris

international organizations, the see of a cardinal archbishop and an ancient university town, lies in a wide basin on both banks of the Seine, which here receives its principal tributary, the Marne. Although Paris's free port (Port Autonome) has lost traffic to the roads and the railways it is still the largest French inland port, with facilities for handling individual consignments, container loads and oil. The townscape of Paris, extending on both banks of the Seine with the hills of Montmartre (129m/423ft) and the Buttes Chaumont (101m/331ft) in the north and the Montagne de Ste-Geneviève (60m/200ft) in the south, has a charm all its own. The great ring of boulevards with their constant surge of traffic and their bright lights when darkness falls, contrasting with the peaceful parks and quiet side streets of the old residential quarters, the long lines of streets and the spacious squares, the legendary Champs-Elysées, the magnificent public buildings, palaces and churches, many of them floodlit at night, the profusion of historic buildings and the futuristic architecture of the present day, the fantastic views from the higher points of the city, the busy movement of shipping on the Seine, the little cafés and bistros with their varying personalities, the color and bustle of the weekly markets, the sheer elegance or stylish nonsenses of the famous fashion houses, the unsurpassable gastronomy of France, the endless range of cultural offerings, from the great museums of international standing to the extreme manifestations of pop culture, the incomparable charm of Parisian savoir vivre: all these varied elements contribute to the irresistible attraction of Paris.

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Tourist Attractions in Paris

Euro Disneyland
Euro Disneyland, a theme park covering an area of almost 2,000 hectares/5,000 acres, a gigantic fairyland of fantasy and adventure with over 50 rides in five magic lands and a variety of shows, parades and other events, was opened in April 1992. Like the whole of the French tourist trade, Euro Disneyland was hit by the economic recession, and the further development that was planned has been postponed. Admission tickets ("passports") for one, two or three days (not necessarily consecutive) and annual season tickets can be bought at the main entrance to the park. Information about conducted visits, particular shows and special events can be obtained from the Guest Relations office in City Hall on Main Street.

Musée du Louvre
The main entrance to the Louvre Museum is the glass pyramid in the Cour Napoléon; a second entrance from the Carrousel du Louvre; and there is a third entrance, the Passage Richelieu between Place du Palais-Royal and the Cour Carrée for Friends of the Louvre (Amis du Louvre), groups and visitors to the auditorium and restaurant only.

Notre-Dame - West Front

On the mezzanine level an exhibition in two parts recounts the history of the Louvre, and visitors can see the remains of the medieval crypt.

Orsay Museum - Impressionists
The celebrated collection of Impressionist works formerly in the Jeu de Paume is now in the Musée d'Orsay. All the great masters of the Impressionist movement, which marked the emergence of the modern school in painting between 1870 and 1900, are represented in the upper gallery - Edouard Manet with his famous "Déjeuner sur l'Herbe", the "historic" masterpiece of the collection, Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Alfred Sisley, Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas - as are the Post-Impressionists Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin and Paul Cézanne, the Pointillistes George Seurat and Paul Signac, and the unclassifiable work of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

Paris - Cluny Museum; Musée National du Moyen Age-Thermes de Cluny
he former Hôtel de Cluny, now a museum of medieval art and culture, stands on the site of Roman baths in Paris, the remains of which can be seen at the corner of the Boulevard Saint Michel and Boulevard Saint-Germain.

Paris - Eiffel Tower; Tour Eiffel
Despite oft-repeated doubts as to its stability, the Eiffel Tower celebrated its centenary in 1989 after a general overhaul lasting eight years. In 1932 it lost its title as the world's highest man- made structure to the Empire State Building in New York (a title now held by the CN Tower in Toronto with a height of 553.35m/1,815ft), but is still visited by almost six million people a year.

Paris - La Villette
On a 35 hectare/85 acre site in northeastern Paris there has been developed since the mid 80s, under the direction of the architects Bernard Tschumi and Adrian Fainsilber, a new recreation and leisure park- La Villette - with a cultural objective. Two factors influenced the choice of the site: one was that a large abattoir built during the de Gaulle era closed down in 1974; the other was the presence on the site of a 19th century market hall of cast iron construction which it was desired to preserve. After reconstruction work lasting six years the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie - 270m/885ft long and 47m/154ft high, with a glass front and four huge blue-painted steel girders supporting the roof - was opened in March 1986.

Paris - Louvre
The long and complex history of the Louvre extends over eight centuries of planning, building, destruction and reconstruction. Successive kings of France, from François I to Louis XIV, enlarged the medieval fortified castle into a sumptuous palace, until the establishment of absolutist rule led to the sudden transfer of the court to Versailles. The Louvre was then abandoned, half completed. Thereafter it provided homes and studios for such renowned painters as Fragonard and Chardin; Louis XVI returned briefly to his city palace; and finally in 1793 the Louvre became the prototype of the modern art museum.

Paris - Luxembourg Gardens; Jardin du Luxembourg
Children and students from the nearby Quartier Latin are the most regular visitors to the Luxembourg Gardens, Paris's best known park after the Tuileries. They were laid out in the 17th century when the Palais du Luxembourg was built, and were given their present form in the 19th century by the architect J.-F. Chalgrin (1739-1811).

Paris - Marais Quarter
The Marais quarter corresponds broadly to the fourth arrondissement. During the last 30 years a costly restoration program has saved a whole chapter in the history of Paris.