PARIS
Country: France
Coordinates: 48° 52' 24'' N
2° 21' 07'' E
Altitude: 65 m
Area: 105,4 km2
Population: 2 166 200
Density of Population: 20 433/km2
Website: www.paris.fr
Mayor: Bertrand Delanoë
Paris is the capital city of France as well as its largest city. The city is built in the arch of the Seine River and is thus divided in two parts. It lies in the centre of the Paris Basin which is the centre core of the large Lowlands of North France, a fertile agricultural area. The city itself has over 2 million inhabitants, however, considering its peripheries and suburban towns, the so-called Great Paris has up to 11.5 million inhabitants and thus constitutes the most densely populated metropolitan area of the European Union right after London.
There are only a few places in the world which affected the world`s history so much and so greatly like Paris did. The first references to Paris are known from the third century BC. Only a small island on the Seine River was then colonized. It was inhabited by a Celtic tribe of Paris people from where the today`s city name also originates. Paris became the capital city in the year of 508 AD.
One of the greatest moments for Paris was the coronation of the King Philip August who reigned in the period from 1180 to 1223. The king had a strong fortification built, started with the construction of the Louvre and established the College de Sorbonne in 1215.
During the whole 16th century French kings chose castles on the Loire River as their residences. Louis XIV., the Sun King, moved to the castle in Versaille along with his courtyard in 1687. Since then Versailles became the capital of the French Kingdom. This residence of French kings served as an example for monarchs all around Europe for a long period of time afterwards.
In the meantime Paris got another precious jewels like Observatory, la Salpétre, Porte Saint-Denis, Saint-Martin and others. Paris has monuments of perhaps all architectonic styles.
One of the most important constructions of Paris is the cathedral of Notre-Dame from the 13th century. In front of the church there is a bronze board with the symbol of Paris which indicates the centre of Paris. The cathedral is 130 metres long, 48 metres wide a 35 metres high. In the front face there are three portals and a gallery of figures of 28 biblical kings and big coloured rosulate windows of which the biggest one has the diameter of 10 metres which is supposed to be technically the largest diameter possible.
Besides the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre with glass pyramids at the entry, there is also a supermodern district called La Défense which is full of skyscrapers and supermodern constructions. Here is also the most famous modern construction in Paris – Grande Arche – built in 1989 for the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution. “Only Paris makes it possible for architects to build anything that they can think of“ – that is an experience Paris gained after the construction of the Pompidou Centre right in the city centre. This ultramodern district thus ranks among the most remarkable architectonic and urban complexes in the world and is considered to be a continual construction of the architecture of the 21st century.
Moreover, Paris has around hundred theatres. Churches are usually closed for the service and between 12:00 and 14:00 hrs. Otherwise, they are open for the general public irregardless of the religion.
Thanks to a sensible and great multiple urban reconstruction of Paris, tourists are mostly attracted by certain urban compact lines which can be found from The Bastille Square through Rue Rivoly near the Louvre, Place de La Concorde, Champs Elysée, Arc de Triomphe, Avenue de la Grande Armée up to Déphense. There are many interesting places full of historical as well as more modern architecture and of typically busy avenues, boulevards, squares and passages.
