|
|
|
The Sites of Paris |
|
|
Sacré Coeur - The Sacré Coeur cathedral is situated on a hill in Montmartre (the location of the Moulin Rouge nightclub). |
|
|
Notre Dame - Notre Dame cathedral was built in the 12th century and Napoleon Bonaparte crowned himself in it in 1804. It is from Notre Dame that the distances to all towns in France are measured. |
|
|
L'Arc de Triomphe - The Arc de Triomphe literally means "Arch of Triumph". It was built to celebrate Napoleon Bonaparte's military victories. The Arc de Triomphe is so large that 12 avenues flow from it. |
|
|
La Tour Eiffel - The Eiffel Tower is perhaps the most famous monument in Paris. It was erected in 1889 to commemorate 100 years since the French Revolution, and is 320 metres tall. At the time that it was built, it was the world's tallest building (around the size of an 80-storey building). The tower was designed by and named after architect Gustave Eiffel. Lifts take tourists right to the top of the tower, for magnificent views of Paris. |
|
|
Champs Elysées - The Champs Elysées is the most famous avenue in Paris. It is a long and wide street with many shops, restaurants and entertainment areas, as well as two large gardens down one end, near L'Obelisk, including the Tuileries Gardens. |
|
|
L'Obelisk - is an obelisk-shaped monument that Napoleon Bonaparte brought to Paris from Egypt and which stands in the Place de la Concorde. An obelisk is a long structure with 4 sides. The Place de la Concorde is where King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette were guillotined during the French Revolution (Link to that section). Next to the Obelisk are the famous Tuileries Gardens. |
|
|
Le Pont Neuf - The Pont Neuf (meaning "New Bridge) is the oldest bridge in Paris. |
|
|
Hôtel des Invalides - Now a museum, the Hotel des Invalides is a hospital for soldiers (and literally means "Hotel for the Injured"). |
|
|
The Pompidou Centre - The Pompidou Centre is a significant modern art museum and a very unusual building. On the exterior of the building are large, red pipes, which are used for water, air and electricity. It has a glass escalator running up the outside of the building for easy access into each floor. |
|
|
The Louvre - The Louvre is the most famous art museum in Paris and it was established in 1793. It houses many famous paintings from ancient art to artwork from the 1850s, including The Mona Lisa by Leonardo Di Vinci. Prior to its use as a museum location, in the 12th century, King Phillipe Auguste built a fortress there, and other royalty lived there, until it became a museum. Outside of the Louvre are spectacular glass pyramid structures, the easier entrances into the Louvre. They are the design of I. M. Pei. |
|
|
|
