Paris - the city of love

[Laurentine]

This new topic is about the city of Paris. Post pictures and interesting facts.

[Laurentine]

The Eiffel Tower is probably one of the most famous symbols of France and was built for the International Exhibition of Paris of 1889, took 2 years to complete and it was the world's tallest building up until 1930.

The Eiffel Tower has over 2.5 million rivets, 15,000 iron pieces, over 40 tonnes of paint and there are 1652 steps to the top.

[M.Helen]

The most famous and visited sights in Paris are Jardin du Luxembourg, Notre Dame Cathedral, Musee Picasso (Picasso Museum), The Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe - Located at the western end of the Champs-Elysées, the Arc de Triomphe is the biggest triumphal arch in the world, The Louvre - One of the most impressive and well-known museums in the world.

[Peach]

The Musée du Louvre or officially the Grand Louvre — in English, the Louvre Museum or Great Louvre, or simply the Louvre — is the national museum of France, the most visited museum in the world, and a historic monument. It is a central landmark of Paris, located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement (neighbourhood). Nearly 35,000 objects from the 6th century BC to the 19th century are exhibited over an area of 60,600 square metres (652,300 square feet).

The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace (Palais du Louvre) which began as a fortress built in the late 12th century under Philip II. Remnants of the fortress are still visible. The building was extended many times to form the present Louvre Palace. In 1672, Louis XIV chose the Palace of Versailles for his household, leaving the Louvre primarily as a place to display the royal collection, including, from 1692, a collection of antique sculpture.[3] In 1692, the building was occupied by the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres and the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, which in 1699 held the first of a series of salons. The Académie remained at the Louvre for 100 years.[4] During the French Revolution, the National Assembly decreed that the Louvre should be used as a museum, to display the nation's masterpieces.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louvre">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louvre</a><!-- m -->

[Nathan]

The park, 22,45 hectare large (about 55 acres), was designed in 1612 in French style. In the 19th century, the private park was opened to the public.

[Peach]

Notre Dame de Paris ('Our Lady of Paris' in French) is a Gothic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France, with its main entrance to the west. It is the cathedral of the Catholic archdiocese of Paris: that is, it is the church that contains the "cathedra", or official chair, of the Archbishop of Paris, Andre Cardinal Vingt-Trois. Notre Dame de Paris is widely considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture in the world. It was restored and saved from destruction by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, one of France's most famous architects. The name Notre Dame means "Our Lady" in French, and is frequently used in the names of Catholic church buildings in Francophone countries.

[Riser]

The popular notion about the name of Paris is that it is derived from the name of УPrince Paris, the son of the King of Troy, who fell in love with the beautiful Helen and carried her to his home. Rather, the city was named after Parisii, a Gaul tribe who inhabited the Ile de la City region from 250 B.C. to 200 B.C. According to another view, the name 'Paris' may also be derived from the word Panamс meaning 'enormous', since the slang nickname of 'Paname' is 'Paris'.

[M.Helen]

The Arc de Triomphe is a monument in Paris, France that stands in the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle, also known as the "Place de l'Étoile". It is at the western end of the Champs-Élysées. The triumphal arch honors those who fought for France, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. On the inside and the top of the arc there are all of the names of generals and wars fought. Underneath is the tomb of the unknown soldier from World War I .

[Laurentine]

The Musée Picasso is situated in the heart of historic Paris, and has a collection of several thousand works of Pablo Picasso. Picasso was born in 1881 and he began to study art in 1895. During his life he created diverse works: painting, sculpture, drawing, ceramics, engraving, and even poetry. After his death in 1973, many of Picasso's works went to the French state, which decided to form a museum with the collection.

[razaaqc]

thats true....

[Faw_Peter]

The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is a prestigious avenue in Paris, France. With its cinemas, cafés, luxury specialty shops and stunning trees, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées is one of the most famous streets in the world, and with rents as high as USD1.5 million per 1,000 square feet (92.9 square metres) of space, it remains the most expensive strip of real estate in Europe.[1][2] The name is French for Elysian Fields, the place of the blessed dead in Greek mythology.

[Terry]

Paris, this capital of european beauty, is a real miracle not only in each particle- Louvre, Picasso Museum, Notre-Dame de Paris or Eiffel Towel. It's a great image to see French capital by the air, it's seems like The God inthe heaven. uper :love

[Peach]

Someone said that America is my country home and Paris is and Paris is home town ! Does this town that incomprehensible mystery, a mystery spirit characteristic to human.When you are there you feel there are like soul, you feel like someone look sweet and tendre.probabil anyone and never will not find the explanation to these mysterious. If you do let us know!

[alberty2k]

Hi!

The Eiffel Tower is famous symbol of France and was built in 1889, t

[alberty2k]

Paris is the capital city of France. It is also said to be the city of lovers…the most romantic place on earth, and French is the language of love. With so much love around, you are bound to enjoy your stay here. The city is situated on the River Seine in northern France, and its location at a crossroads between land and river trade routes has made it one of the principal cities of Europe.

[alberty2k]

Paris is one of Europe's foremost centers of learning and the arts and is a major influence in politics, fashion, business, arts and science. The metropolitan area forms an irregular oval beyond the city limits, extending along the Seine and Marne rivers from the city's south-east and east, and along the Seine and Oise rivers to the city's north-west and north.

[alberty2k]

troll along its breezy boulevards, gaze upon impressive monuments, ogle at great works of art, and savor its gourmet selection of cheese, chocolate, wine and seafood. In winter the city is alive with numerous cultural events and during the warm and lazy summers, you can tour its many museums by day and roadside cafes by evening. In August, most Parisians head for the beaches. Bastille Day and towards the end of the year are the busiest times of the year, so keep that in mind while planning your vacation.

[alberty2k]

Historical background:
The name Paris comes from its pre-Roman inhabitants, the Gaulish tribe known as the Parisii who founded the city around 3rd century BC. The city was called Lutetia during the beginning of the Roman occupation, but Paris replaced it towards the end. It is now also known as 'The City of Light' (La Ville-lumiere), since it is known to be a centre of education and also because of its early adoption of street lighting.

[alberty2k]

round 52 BC, Julius Caesar took over the city and around the 2nd century AD, Christianity was introduced. The Romans were ousted in the 5th century by the arrival of the Franks. During the Middle Ages, Paris flourished. However in the 9th century, Scandinavian Vikings began raiding France's western coast and these conflicts gave birth to the Hundred Years War between Norman England and Paris' Capetian dynasty. The French were defeated and the English gained control of Paris in 1420. In 1429, the French troops defeated the English at Orleans led by a 17 year old, and the English were finally expelled from France in 1453.

[alberty2k]

The Renaissance was Paris’ golden era. Many of the city's notable monuments were built during the period. But the peace didn’t last long. By the late 16th century, clashes broke out between the Huguenot Protestants and Catholic groups and in 1572, 3000 Huguenots were massacred on St Bartholomew's Day to celebrate the wedding of Henri of Navarre (King Henri IV).

[alberty2k]

Louis XIV, known as the Sun King, ascended the throne in 1643 when he was just five years of age and remained in power until 1715. During this period, he nearly bankrupted the national treasury with his excesses! This led to an uprising in 1789 and brought about the French Revolution.

[alberty2k]

After the revolution, the government came under Napoleon Bonaparte who was crowned Emperor of the French by the Pope in 1804. His greed for acquiring more territories, eventually led to his downfall in 1812 during the battle of Waterloo in Belgium, after which he was exiled.

[alberty2k]

By the 1930s, Paris was the centre for avant-garde art and freethinking intellectuals. The period of boom was once again cut short by the Nazi occupation of 1940, when Paris remained under Germany until 1944. But since then, there has been no stopping this city that continues to be the Mecca for artists, poets and lovers, who never miss a chance to get inspired by the beautiful city and all that it has to offer.

[alberty2k]

Sights around town:
Take your own sweet time to explore Paris, because there are just too many things too see and each requires special attention. You cannot just look at the grand medieval abbeys, gothic masterpieces, classical architecture, and a remarkable density of artistic and cultural treasures—you need to spend time to savor and understand the depths of each piece of glorious history.

[alberty2k]

The Musee d'orsay is home to the great artists of the 19th century. It was originally a train station but now houses a huge treasure trove of art—paintings by Delacroix, Degas, Corot, Manet, Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, Gauguin, Cezanne, Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec and many others.