Paris - Historical Background

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Cities with so many intact historic sites are rare. Monuments, museums, squares and gardens, in all their beauty, remind us of the extent to which Paris is and always has been in demand. It has been, at one and the same time, a theatre in which major events have been staged, an intellectual, political and economic reference point since its foundation and the residence of kings for several centuries: a city of the people and the middle classes, rich and poor, proud and sometimes treacherous, cosmopolitan yet insular. This cultural and sociological mix gives Paris an irresistible charm.

Civitas Parisiorum

France's political, economic and cultural capital had modest and strictly rural beginnings; it started as no more than a little Celtic fishing borough, established in the 3rd century BC in the middle of the Seine on the Ile de la Cite The fortified and prosperous Lutcee appealed to Caesar and his Roman army's greed and they appropriated it in 52 BC as one of the first Gallo-Roman cities. The first mention of the name Paris appeared in 207 AD, when the civitas parisiorum stretched from the left bank of the Seine to the thermal springs of Cluny. Paris quickly attracted the favour of two saints who were to contribute to its construction. Saint Denis was the first Christian bishop to be beheaded by the Romans in 280 AD; his remains now lie in the Saint Denis basilica. Saint Genevi ve became the patron saint of Parisians after miraculously repelling the invasion of the Huns in 451. Monasteries and abbeys flourished--including the powerful abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Pres--under the aegis of Clovis, King of the Franks from 486. While Charlemagne preferred Aix-la-Chapelle and suffered a long siege there at the hands of the Vikings in 885, Paris continued to repel the invasions of the barbarians with varied success until 987, when it regained its pride with the accession of France de Hugues Capet to the throne.

The Biggest Medieval City in Western Christendom

As capital of the tiny French kingdom, the city grew considerably between the 11th and 13th centuries. The extension and embellishment of the city owed much to Philippe II Auguste, son of Louis VI, who paved the streets and built the new market in Les Halles, the circular ramparts and the Louvre fortress (1204). These extravagant centuries saw the completion of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame (undertaken in 1163), the Sainte Chapelle under Saint-Louis (in 1246) and the Palais Royal under Philippe-le-Bel (1285-1314).

The medieval town was divided, with the commercial, political and religious areas on the right bank and the bastion of dissident intellectuals on the left. The most famous of these was Robert de Sorbonne, whose college was the precursor of the famous university of the Sorbonne.

With a population of 80,000, Paris had become the biggest city in western Christendom by the 13th century.

But some black years were to follow with the famine of 1315, the plague and the Hundred-Years' War, when Paris was besieged by the English until 1436. Fortunately, prosperity was to return in the 15th century with Francois I, to whom we owe the Hotel de Ville, the college of France, the Hotel des Tuileries and the Pont Neuf. He also transformed the old Louvre fortress into a Renaissance palace.

Architectural Splendour and Impoverished Citizens

Paris sank into chaos once again with the religious wars and the terrible St-Barthlemy massacre of the Protestants during the nights of August 23rd and 24th, 1572. The fiercely Protestant regent, Henri III, had to flee the city and was succeeded by Henri IV in 1594 after he gave up the throne. A convert to Catholicism, he courted the hearts of Parisians by building the Place des Vosges, the Place Dauphine, and the Quais de l'Arsenal and Orfvres.

Even more beautiful extensions to the city came under Louis XIII with the building of the Marais district (which retains its original character), and the St-Honor and St-Germain suburbs. This was followed immediately by the construction of the Luxembourg Palace by Marie of Medicis, the Val de Grace by Queen Anne of Austria, and the Palace of the Cardinal (now the Palais-Royal) by Richelieu. The establishment of the Royal Printing House, in 1620, the Botanical Gardens and the French Academy consolidated the intellectual character of the capital.

Louis XIV, known as the Sun King, installed his sumptuous court at Versailles, leaving Paris to deal with the Fronde in 1648-1652. This group protested against an absolute monarchy, but by isolating the king and his minions, only succeeded in strengthening it. Colbert, in charge of buildings, had superb monuments built by Mansart and Perrauls in honour of his sovereign: the colonnade in the Louvre, the Invalides, l'Observatoire, the gates of St-Denis and St- Martin, the Salpetriere hospital, and the Tuileries Gardens. The opulent architecture offered a stark contrast to the overpopulated and poverty-stricken Paris of the ordinary people.

Philosophical and Political Revolution

The proliferation of cafes and literary salons, including the famous Procope, fostered new egalitarian and libertarian ideas that preceded the French Revolution, and contributed to the cultural reputation of Paris. At this time were constructed the Ecole Militaire, the Pantheon, the Place de la Concorde and the gardens of the Palais Royal, where the initial 1789 uprising was plotted; it was here that the famous Rights of Man were originally formulated and numerous remaining royalists were executed. With the regent beheaded, Napoleon put Paris in the control of two prefects charged with establishing a government. He set about creating the capital of Europe, establishing the Arc de Triomphe, the Stock Exchange, the Place Vendeme, the Colonne Vendeme and the St-Martin canal.

The Eiffel Tower and Sacre Coeur

The poverty of the people fuelled the anti-royalist revolutions of 1830 and 1848. Napoleon III's Second Empire symbolised the start of a new era: above all a period of industrialisation, efficiency and public health. Official architect, Georges Haussman, changed the face of the city, transforming its medieval character into the one we know today. Dirty lanes gave way to broad, tree-lined avenues and majestic buildings that were accessible by new means of transport. Parks and gardens were established, such as the Bois de Boulogne and the Bois de Vincennes. Success came with the Universal exhibition of 1889, whose specially built iron structure was designed as a temporary monument and is now the archetypal symbol of the city of light: without the Eiffel Tower, Paris just wouldn't be Paris. The SacreCoeur Basilica was completed in 1910, as was the Palais de Chaillot.

Spared by the Great War, intellectual and artistic Paris attracted numerous important painters and writers, especially in the Montmartre district. The Second World War was a different story however, and the German army occupied the capital in June 1940; the city was eventually liberated by General Leclerc and General de Gaulle. The latter declared the Fifth Republic, which was to be challenged by a great social, economic and cultural upheaval in May 1968. This dissident movement arose in student circles and was led by Daniel Cohn-Bendit. The occupation of the Sorbonne and Nanterre universities degenerated into riots and barricades in the Latin Quarter. It was an unprecedented crisis whose shock tactics paralysed the country with a general strike.

The Presidents Regent of the Fifth Republic

Just as all the monarchs had left their mark on Paris, so, naturally, the presidents of the Fifth Republic wished to be remembered through their great monuments. De Gaulle bequeathed the airport at Roissy; the Centre Georges Pompidou is a controversial memorial to the president of the same name; Giscard D'Estaing established the Muse d'Orsay and transformed the old abattoirs of la Villette into the Cite des Sciences. Francois Mitterand, during his 14 years as president (1981-95) carefully planned his monumental works to evoke both argument and enthusiasm. Among these are the Arche de la Defense, the glass pyramid of the Louvre, the Opera Bastille and the Bibliothque nationale de France: when it comes to Paris, everyone has an opinion.







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Montmartre (18th Arrond.)
Paris
Montmartre (18th Arrond.)
The Latin Quarter (5th Arrond.)
Paris
The Latin Quarter (5th Arrond.)
St-Germain-des-Près (6th Arr.)
Paris
St-Germain-des-Près (6th Arr.)
The Marais (3rd Arrond.)
Paris
The Marais (3rd Arrond.)
Bois de Boulogne


More than 100,000 trees!
 Bois de Boulogne
Paris 75016
+33 1 4742 9056 (Ministry of Tourism)
Bois de Boulogne
Place Vendôme


The showcase of Parisian chic
 Rue de la Paix
(rue Cambon)
Paris 75002
+33 01 42 61 13 89
http://www.place-vendome.net
Place Vendôme
Bois de Vincennes


A green expanse to the east
 Bois de Vincennes
Paris 75012
+33 1 4742 9056 (Ministry of Tourism)
http://www.boisdevincennes.com/
Bois de Vincennes
Hôtel des Tuileries


Special charm
 10 Rue Saint Hyacinthe
Paris 75001
+33 1 4261 0417
http://www.hotel-des-tuileries.com/
Hôtel des Tuileries
French National Library


For the love of books
 11 Quai François-Mauriac
Paris 75013
+33 1 5379 5959
http://www.bnf.fr
French National Library
Sorbonne


The famous university
 47 Rue des Écoles
Paris 75005
+33 1 4046 2211
http://www.sorbonne.fr
Sorbonne
Défense


The French City
 Parvis de la Défense
Paris 92800
Défense
Eiffel Tower


The symbol of Paris
 Champ de Mars
Paris 75007
+33 1 4411 2323
http://www.tour-eiffel.fr/
Eiffel Tower
Procope


A taste of History
 13 Rue de l'Ancienne-Comédie
Paris 75006
+33 1 4046 7900
http://www.procope.com
Procope
Arc de Triomphe


The magic roundabout
 Place Charles-de-Gaulle-Étoile
Paris 75008
+33 1 5537 7377
Arc de Triomphe
Basilica of Sacré-Coeur


Overlooking Paris
 35 Rue du Chevalier-de-la-Barre
(Rue de la Bonne)
Paris 75018
+33 1 5341 8900
http://www.sacre-coeur-montmartre.com/
Basilica of Sacré-Coeur
Bastille Opera


Ballet and opera performances
 120 Place de la Bastille
Paris 75012
+33 1 4343 9696
http://www.opera-de-paris.fr
Bastille Opera
City of Science and Industry


Back to the future
 30 Avenue Corentin-Cariou
Paris 75019
+33 (0)1 4005 8000 / +33 (0)1 4005 7000
http://www.cite-sciences.fr/
City of Science and Industry
Place des Vosges


Pistols at dawn
 Quai du Marche Neuf
(Quai de L'horloge)
Paris 75004
Place des Vosges
Beaubourg Pompidou Center


Avant-garde cultural centre
 Place Georges Pompidou
Paris 75004
+33 (0)1 4478 1233
http://www.centrepompidou.fr/
Beaubourg Pompidou Center
Hôtel de Ville


Paris' Town Hall
 4 Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville
Paris 75004
+33 (0)1 4952 5354 (L'Information De touristes)
Hôtel de Ville
Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris


France's greatest cathedral
 6 Place du Parvis-de-Notre-Dame
(Quai aux Fleurs)
Paris 75004
+33 1 4234 5610
Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris
Pantheon


Secular crypt
 Place du Panthéon
Paris 75005
Pantheon
Place Dauphine


For the future Louis XIII
 Place Dauphine
Paris 75001
+33 1 4742 9056 (Ministry of Tourism)
Place Dauphine
Royal Palace


Debauchery, revolution and the monarchy
 Place du Palais-Royal
Paris 75001
Royal Palace
Tuileries Gardens


Between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde
 Rue de Rivoli
Paris 75001
+33 (0)1 4020 9043
http://www.v1.paris.fr/en/visiting/gardens/jardin_tuileries.asp
Tuileries Gardens
Place de la Concorde


Between the Champs-Elysées and the Tuileries
 Avenue Gabriel
(rue Boissy D'anglas)
Paris 75008
Place de la Concorde
Luxembourg Palace


The seat of the French Senate
 15 Rue de Vaugirard
Paris 75006
+33 1 42 34 20 00
Luxembourg Palace
Paris
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