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PARIS_1 - Pont Alexandre III, Paris: One of the requirements for the bridge was that it should not obstruct the view on the Invalides and Champs-Elysées. This resulted in a very low 40 meters wide bridge with a single 107.5 meters long span and a height of only 6 meters. The bridge is lavishly decorated with lampposts and sculptures of cherubs and nymphs. Each of the ornaments on the bridge was created by a different artist. |
PARIS_2 -Louvre, Paris: The collection of the Louvre Museum was first established in the 16th century as the private collection of King Francis I. The collection grew steadily thanks to donations and purchases by the kings. In 1793, during the French Revolution, the Louvre became a national art museum and the private royal collection opened to the public. |
PARIS_3 - Notre Dame, Paris: The site of the Notre Dame has always been the religious center of the city. The Celts had their sacred ground there, the Romans built a temple to worship Jupiter. A Christian basilica was built in the 6th century and the last religious structure before the Notre-Dame construction started was a Romanesque church. Bishop Maurice de Sully started the construction in 1163. The Cathedral was to be built in the new gothic style and had to reflect Paris's status as the capital of the Kingdom France. |
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PARIS_4 - Notre Dame, Paris: The three large portals to the cathedral are entirely decorated with statues and are each home to two very heavy wooden doors that give access to the inside of the cathedral. In the Middle Ages, most of the facade was painted, including all the statues. The Portal of the Last Judgment is in the centre of the facade. Jesus is represented welcoming us while Mary and Saint John pray for men.
| PARIS_5 - Notre Dame, Paris: The South Rose Window was a gift from the king Saint Louis. It was designed by Jean de Chelles and Pierre de Montreuil. It has eighty-four panes divided into four circles. The first one has twelve medallions and the second has twenty-four. A third circle is made up of quadrilobes, and the fourth circle has twenty-four trilobes medallions. This window features the symbolic number four, along with its multiples, twelve and twenty-four. |
PARIS_6 - Obelisk, Place de la Concorde, Paris: In 1831 the obelisk was given to France by Muhammad Ali, viceroy and pasha of Egypt. The 3200 years old obelisk from the temple of Ramses II at Thebes was installed at the center of the Place de la Concorde. It is a 23 meters (75 feet) tall monolith in pink granite and weighs approximately 230 tons.
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PARIS_7 - Grand Palais, Paris: The Pont Alexandre II bridge, with its exuberant Art Nouveau lamps, cherubs, nymphs and winged horses at either end, was built between 1896 and 1900. It is named after Tsar Alexander III, who had concluded the Franco-Russian Alliance in 1892. The style of the bridge reflects that of the Grand Palais, to which it leads on the right bank. |
PARIS_8 - Hotel de Ville, Paris: The Hôtel de Villeis the building housing the city's local administration. Standing on the place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville (formerly place de Grève) in the city's IVe arrondissement, it has been the location of the municipality of Paris since 1357. It serves multiple functions, housing the local administration and the Mayor of Paris. |
PARIS_9 - Eiffel Tower: In order to enhance the impression of height, three separate colors of paint are used on the tower, with the darkest on the bottom and the lightest at the top. More than 200 million people have visited the tower since its construction in 1889 including 7 million in 2011 making the tower the most-visited paid monument in the world. |
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PARIS_10 - The Military Museum, Les Invalides, Paris: The Military Museum is housed in one wing of the Invalides. In 1794, a French inspector started collecting weapons, uniforms, and equipment, and with the accumulation of war material over time, the museum has become a documentary of man's self-destruction. |
PARIS_11 - Arc De Triomphe, Paris: The monument stands 50 metres (164 ft) in height, 45 m (148 ft) wide and 22 m (72 ft) deep. The large vault is 29.19 m (95.8 ft) high and 14.62 m (48.0 ft) wide. The small vault is 18.68 m (61.3 ft) high and 8.44 m (27.7 ft) wide. It was the largest triumphal arch in existence until the construction of the Arch of Triumph in Pyongyang, in 1982. |
PARIS_12 - The Tomb of Count Claude Henri d’Harcourt, Notre Dame: The tomb designed by Pigalle (1714-1785) makes it appear as though the deceased is about to fall out of the open coffin, while Death himself stands over him with an hourglass. |
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PARIS_13 - Montmartre, Paris, France: Montmartre is a hill in the north of Paris, France. It is 130 metres high and gives its name to the surrounding district, in the 18th arrondissement. Many artists had studios or worked around the community of Montmartre such as Salvador Dalí, Amedeo Modigliani, Claude Monet, Piet Mondrian, Pablo Picasso and Vincent van Gogh. |
PARIS_14 - Sacre Coeur, Paris: The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in Paris, France. A law of public utility was passed to seize land at the summit of Montmartre for the construction of the basilica. Architect Paul Abadie designed the basilica after winning a competition over 77 other architects. With delays in assembling the property, the foundation stone was finally laid 16 June 1875. |
PARIS_15 - Louvre, Paris: The most recent addition to the Louvre was the construction of the Louvre Pyramid, which functions as the museum's main entrance. The controversial pyramid, out of keeping with the classical style of the original buildings, was built in 1989 by the renowned American architect I.M. Pei. |
