Shortly after his victory at Austerlitz, Napoleon commissioned the Arc de Triomphe's construction. The Arc was completed in 1836. There are four huge relief sculptures at the bases of the four pillars that make up the structure. These commemorate The Triumph of 1810 (Cortot); Resistance, and Peace (both by Etex); and The Departure of the Volunteers, more commonly known by the name La Marseillaise (Rude).
The Arc de Triomphe from the Champs Elysees at night
Engraved around the top of the Arch are the names of major victories won during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic periods. The names of lesser victories, as well as those of 558 French generals, are found on the inside walls of the arc. The names of generals killed in battle are underlined.
Beneath the Arch is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and eternal flame commemorating the dead of both world wars.
Every Armistice Day ( November, 11) the President of France lays a wreath at the tomb. On 14 July - the French National Day (referred to as Bastille Day everywhere except in France) - a military parade down the Champs Elysees begins here. For important occasions of state, and national holidays, a huge French tricolor is unfurled and hung from the vaulted ceiling inside of the Arch.2)Musee d'Orsay
A superb example of a successful conversion from production to practical, the musée d'Orsay was redeveloped in the old Gare (gare means station) d'Orsay railway station.
The station was built by Victor Laloux and inaugurated in 1900 for that years Universal Exhibition. After having received the first electric trains in France, the station was closed in 1939, a victim of progress as newer bigger stations were built.
It was registered as a listed and protected building in 1978. The museum was opened in December 1986 and was dedicated to all artistic production from 1848 to 1914. Paintings, pastels, sculptures, furniture and objets d'art, photography and documentary objects reflect the richness and diversity of this era.
Collections : Arts Décoratifs , Histoire , Littérature , Mobilier , Peinture , Photographie , Sculpture
Open: Winter: 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Summer: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. - late night: Thursdays until 9.45 p.m.
Closed: 01/01, 05/01, 12/25
Practical Information: Visits in Foreign Languages, Documentation in Foreign Languages, Teaching Activities, Group, Guided Tours Conferences, Handicapped Persons, Wheelchair Hire, Book Shop, Gift Shop, Restaurant, Hire of Space, Photography Allowed, Car Park, Bus Park .
3)Eiffel Tower
In 1889, when the Tour Eiffel was completed, it was the tallest building in the world at 300m. The Eiffel Tower was originally built as a temporary structure to commemorate the centennial of the French Revolution. To the world's benefit the tower was never torn down and since, the Eiffel Tower has become an enduring symbol of the city of Paris.
The tower was originally built for the 1889 Exposition. This steel construction defied all traditional rules in architecture. Today the tower is the main television transmitter for the city of Paris.
The tower design was selected by a competition in which Gustave Eiffel won. Eiffel was an engineer who had lots of experience constructing high level railway viaducts. In the public eye, the tower had many mixed opinions, celebrated and loathed in equal measure. Throughout its construction, the residents became convinced that it would collapse, and Eiffel had to reassure them many times quite often in person. The author Guy de Maupassant left Paris permanently to avoid looking at its 'metallic carcass' but others who espoused more self-consciously modern views championed the tower: Seurat and Douanier Rousseau were among the first to paint it, in 1889 and 1890 respectively. On a clear day, it is possible to see Chartres Cathedral from the high level viewing platform.
Paris's most recognized landmark has three floors. The first is at 57m, the second at 115m, and the third at 276m. The top of the aerial is 320 m. above the ground. On a clear day, you can see from the top of the platform, the whole of Paris and the distant suburbs.
The 12,000 steel girders that make up the tower are held together by 2,500,000 rivets to produce it's smooth, curving profile. It's functional elegance heralded the dawn of Industrial Art, and has met with much sarcastic comment from more conservative observers ever since it was finished in 1889.
In 1986 the external night-time floodlighting was replaced by a system of illumination from within the tower's superstructure, so that it now looks at its magical best after dark. The tower casts off quite an amazing light show just after dark on most nights.
Visitor Hours
From January 1 to June 18: 9:30 am - 8:30 pm (11:00 pm via lift)
From June 19 to August 29: 9:00 am - midnight
From August 30 to December 31: 9:30 am - 8:30 pm (11:00 pm via lift)
Last admittance 1 hour before closing.
Fees
Stairs - all visitors: 3,50€
Adults
Lift to 1st platform 4€
Lift to 2nd platform 7,30€
Lift to 3rd platform 10,40€
Children
Lift to 1st platform 2,20€
Lift to 2nd platform 4€
Lift to 3rd platform 5,70€
4)The Louvre Museum - Musee du Louvre
Over seven million people visited the Louvre in 2005, surely one the most attended attractions worldwide. Covering an area of some 40 hectares right in the heart of Paris, the Louvre offers almost 60,000 square meters of exhibition rooms dedicated to preserving items representing 11 millennia of civilization and culture, bridging the very old and the very new.
Architect Pei's pyramid, surrounded by fountains, marks the entrance to the newly added wing of the museum. At road level, the Jardin du Carrousel has been redesigned, and the terrace covering the former avenue du Général-Lemonnier will form a continuous area linking up the Jardin des Tuileries, which has also been completely restored.
Mona Lisa
It was President François Mitterrand who took the decision to transfer the offices of 5,000 civil servants of the Ministry of Finance from the north wing of the Louvre palace to Bercy (in the east of Paris). This liberated 22,000 m² of exhibition area, and initiated the second stage of the project. The Richelieu Wing was inaugurated by President Mitterrand on 18th November 1993, the date of the Louvre museum's bicentenary.
The Richelieu Wing houses the following collections: French sculptures, around two roofed courtyards (cour Marly and cour Puget); and the first part of the itinerary of Oriental Antiquities and Islamic Art, notably with the cour Khorsabad. The first floor is dedicated to Objets d'art; the second floor includes Flemish and Dutch paintings, that benefit from a new natural lighting system. On the same floor starts the itinerary of French paintings. Two cafes and various documentation rooms are also available to the public.
From 1995 to 1997, numerous galleries have been refurbished in the Denon Wing and Sully Wing. In October 1997 the Sackler Wing of Oriental Antiquities opened. has been opened (see l'aile Sackler des Antiquités orientales -in French only), and in December 1997 the French President inaugurated 10 000 square meters of new rooms in the Louvre (Egyptian Antiquities, Roman Egypt, coptic Egypt, Italian Paintings and Drawings).
Tracing its architectural origins back to the 12th century fortress of Philippe Auguste, the stunning Louvre palace stands along the right bank of the Seine. Since the Middle Ages, its development has been marked by both the major events of French history and the succession of architects and decorators who have left their mark on it.
The medieval fortress from which the present day palace originates was built by King Philippe Auguste at the end of the 12th century. The restoration work on the Cour Carree and the excavation work necessary for construction of the I. M. Pei pyramid and the Carrousel area allowed archeological digs. Visitors can now walk along the moats of the medieval fortress under the Cour Carrée and pass around the base of the dungeon to get to the salle Saint-Louis (13th century). A visit to the carpark has its own appeal - you can walk along the so-called Charles V moats.
In 1528, François Ier had the "grand tower" destroyed, and decided in 1546 to transform the former fortress into a luxury residence. The transformation, which was supervised by Pierre Lescot, continued under Henri II and Charles IX, involved two new wings which occupy two sides of the former fortress. Jean Goujon decorated the facade and the great hall of this Renaissance wing.
To the west, in a place known as the Tuileries, Catherine de Médicis had a huge palace built, which she left incomplete. As soon as he arrived in Paris in 1594, Henri IV had the Louvre and Tuileries connected to form a gigantic palace. This was the "Grand Dessein" or Grand Design, of which he had the first stage completed, the Grande Galerie.
Under Louis XIII and Louis XIV, the architects Le Mercier and subsequently Le Vau built the "Cour Carrée", four times the size of the former Renaissance courtyard. To the East, facing the city, a committee of architects, led by Perrault, planned the "colonnade". Poussin, Romanelli and Le Brun decorated the apartments and the "galeries". But this golden age enjoyed by the Louvre came to an abrupt end in 1678, when Louis XIV chose Versailles as his centre of power. The double palace remained incomplete for a long time. During the entire 18th century, new projects contributed to the "Grand Dessein" of the Bourbons.
Open: Museum: 9 a.m.-6 p.m. - Pyramid: 9 a.m.-10 p.m. - Museum late night opening: Monday (Richelieu Wing) and Wednesday: 9.45 p.m.
Closed: Tuesday, certain bank holidays.
