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Place de la Concorde
The grandest and most infamous square in Paris. It is situated at
a crossroads, the National Assembly to the south facing its mirror
image a neo-Greek Temple, the Madeline church, to the north and
the Arc de Triomphe and Champs Elysees to the west facing the Tuilleries
Gardens and the Louvre to the east. It was constructed between 1754
and 1763 to hold a statue of Louis XV and was then called Place
Louis XV. It then became the Place de Revolution and the site of
the guillotine which beheaded nearly 3000 people including Louis
XVI, Marie-Antoinette, Danton and Robespierre. After the Reign of
Terror it was renamed Place de la Concorde, then after several name
changes, it once again became the Place de la Concorde. See it in
360
degrees
The statue of Louis XV, removed during the Revolution, was replaced
by the over 3000 year old Obelisk of Luxor, given by the viceroy
of Egypt to Louis Phillippe in 1883.
Champs Elysees
The Champs Elysees was originally an extension of the Tuileries gardens
laid out in the 17th century by Le Notre. During the Second Empire,
from 1852, it became a focus for fashionable society and theatre,
for military parades and royal processions. It is on a direct line
from the Louvre, through the Tuileries Gardens, past the Place de
Concorde, up through gardens bordered by trees and azaleas. In these
gardens are two famous theatres, Theatre de Marigny and Theatre du
Rond-Point and exclusive restaurants with pretty garden terraces,
such as ëLedoyení and ëLaurentí. From the Rond-Point the Champs Elysee
runs uphill to the Arc de Triomphe. Here along its wide granite pavements
there are many fast food eateries, shopping arcades and cinemas but
it is still considered the most beautiful avenue in the world.
Rue de Rivoli
This lovely arcade was begun by Napoleon in 1811. Under its arches
are two English language book stores; Angelina's, a tea salon famous
for its thick hot chocolate; and the luxurious Hotel Meurice. Tolstoy
at one time lived in one of the apartments above the Arcade.
Jardin des Tuilleries
The Tuileries Gardens were designed by Andre Le Notre in 1664
and is one of the largest parks in Paris. It is bordered by the
Louvre, Rue de Rivoli and, at the western end, the Orangerie and
the Jeu de Paume. The Orangerie houses Monet's magnificent 'Nympheas'
series of paintings of water-lilies which were painted at Giverny
and donated to the nation by the artist as a 'spiritual testimony'.
It also houses other great Impressionist and 'Ecole de Paris'
artists. It is undergoing a major re-haul at the moment. The Jeu
de Paume holds special exhibitions.
Rue St-Honore
This Street has been a major thoroughfare since the 12th century
and is now lined with luxurious shops and trendy boutiques. At #163
stood the old St-Honore Gate where Joan of Arc was wounded in the
thigh by an English archer in 1429. Her statue is nearby on Rue
de Rivoli to commemorate this event.
La Madeleine
The building of the Madeleine Church, named for Mary Magdalene, began
in 1763 but was not finished until 1842. The famous Maxim's restaurant
is nearby on the rue Royale and on the square of the Madeleine are
two famous specialty food stores; Fauchon and Hediard's.
Place de Vendome
This classically elegant square built in 1685 has a 44 meter high
column with a crowning sculpture of Napoleon as Caeser, although this
has changed several times. It is home to the world's most opulent
jewelers and the legendary Ritz Hotel, a favorite haunt of the famous,
such as Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Cole Porter, Proust, and Chanel.
Grand Palais and Petit Palais
Built for the 1900 World Fair, the former now has major exhibitions
and the later houses the fine arts museum of the City of Paris with
a collection specializing in 19th century French painters as Delacroix,
Courbet, Monet, Cezanne and Bonnard. Part of the Grand Palais also
houses a science museum, the Palais de la Decouverte.
Continued...
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