La Tour Eiffel
The Eiffel tower began construction on the 28 of January 1887 and ended March 15th, 1889. It finally opened March 30th, 1889. It took two years, two months, and five days to complete. It was built by Stephen Sauvestre. He was the architect on the project to build the Eiffel Tower. The ruler who commissioned the construction of the Eiffel Tower is Jules Grévy. The purpose of the Eiffel Tower was to be a center piece for a World's Fair. It is 986 feet tall. Some unusual facts about the Eiffel Tower is that it was originally meant to be torn down in 1901 but was saved since it was used as a giant radio antenna. Another interesting fact is when Hitler visited the Eiffel Tower during World War II they cut the wires for the elevator so that if he wanted to visit the top he would have to walk up the stairs. The Eiffel Tower was originally supposed to be built in Barcelona but was turned down. The paint on the Eiffel Tower in weight is equal to ten elephants.
La Cathédrale Notre Dame
The Notre Dame Cathedral was built in the year 1163 and was completed in the year 1345. It had taken exactly about 182 years to be finished. It was built by three architects whose name was Jean de Chelles, Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Lassus. and Peter of Monteraeu. The ruler who commissioned the building of the Notre Dame Cathedral was Bishop Maurice de Sully. The reason why it was built was because the original cathedral that was there was deemed unfit for its role by Bishop Maurice de Sully. So it was torn down and they had a new cathedral take its place. The building itself is 128 meters in length and 69 meters in both width and height. This cathedral has some interesting facts about it. It has a shrine the houses the Crown of Thorns that was forced on to Jesus during his crucifixion. Another important event that happened her was the crowning of Napoleon by Pope Pius VII. It was such a prominent event because Napoleon snatched the crown from the Pope and put it on his own head. Some famous people connected to this site is Pope Pius VII, Jesus, and Napoleon.
L'Arc de Triomphe
The Arc de Triomphe construction started August 15, 1806 and was completed in July 29, 1836. It took almost 30 years to complete this structure. The architects that built the Arc de Triomphe were Jean Chalgrin, Guillaume-Abel Blouet, Jean-Nicolas Huyot, Louis-Robert Goust, and Jean-Arnaud Raymond. The ruler who commissioned the construction of this building is the emperor Napoleon. It was built to honor those who fought in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. It's 50 meters in height, 45 meters in width and 22 meters deep. Some unusual facts about the Arc de Triomphe is that it houses the remains of an unknown solider. It has an eternal flame lit next to it that burns in memory for every unknown dead solider that died on the battlefield. Another interesting fact is that when President Kennedy and his wife came to pay their respects to the unknown solider's grave. After his assassination his wife also had an eternal flame lit at his grave to. Some famous people connected to the site is Napoleon and President John F. Kennedy.
Le Musée du Louvre
The Louvre Museum was built originally in the 12th century as a fortress. But later on was used as a place to display the royal collection in 1682. Then it held an academy for 100 years before it was finally used as a museum on August 10, 1793. It was built under the rule of King Philip II. It was built to house the nation's masterpieces. It covers an area of 60.600 square meters and it's divided into 8 departments. There are about 35,000 artworks in the Louvre. The different types of artwork there is Egyptian Antiquities, Near Eastern Antiquities, Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Antiquities, Islamic Art, Sculpture, Decorative Arts, Paintings, and Prints and Drawings. Some interesting facts about the Louvre Museum is that Napoleon Bonaparte named the museum after himself but was returned to its original name after his reign ended. The Nazis also used it as storeroom for stolen art during World War II. There are many famous artists connected to the museum like Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Raphael, and Caravaggio.
Le Centre Pompidou
The Centre Pompidou began construction in 1971 and was completed and opened to the public in 1977. It took about 6 years to complete. It was commissioned by President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing. The architects that built this structure are Renzo Piano, Richard Rogers, and Gianfranco Franchini. It was built as an idea of bringing together different forms of art and literature. It houses the Public Information Library and the National Museum of Modern Art. The Centre Pompidou has seven floors, it's 45.5 meters in height, 166 meters in length, and 60 meters in width. Some interesting facts about this place is that all the plumbing, electrical, air circulation wires and pipes are all on the outside of the building. The square in front of the Centre Pompidou has one of the first modern fountains in Paris and several sculptures.
L'Opéra Garnier
The Palais Garnier began construction in August 1861 and was completed January 5, 1875. It took 14 years to complete this building and it was commissioned by Emporer Napoloen III and the architect that helped build this building is Charles Garnier. The reason it took so long to finish this was because of a variety of interruptions. First they had found an underground lake, the 1870 war, and the fall of the empire. The reason for building this structure was because at the time Napoloen III had been carrying out a big Parisian reconstruction project so it was part of the project. The building itself is 88 meters in height and 70.2 meters wide. Some unusual facts about the Palais Garnier is that it's surrounded by banks. But only because at a much older time when people left their jewelry in the banks and took them out to wear when going to the Palais Garnier. Another somewhat unusual fact is that the top tier of the Palais Garnier is called the "chicken coup". It's called that because it was mostly the middle class who sat there to watch upper class citizens. But when they saw someone they didn't like they'd throw rotten food at them. So to prevent the food from hitting the people they put chicken wire to catch the food before it hit anyone. A famous person connected to this site is Andrew Lloyd who wrote The Phantom of the Opera which is based off of this building.
La Grande Arche
La Grande Arche
The Grand Arch was built in 1985 and was completed in 1989. The reason it was built was because the French President François Mitterrand had started a national design competition. So Johan Otto von Spreckelsen had sent in this design which was supposed to be a 20th century version on the Triumphant Arc. He had won the competiton along with his partner and they started building right away. The architect of this structure was Johan Otto von Spreckelsen and the ruler who commissioned it was President François Mitterrand. The building itself is 110 meters tall. Some unusual features about this building is that it is an office building but the way it's shaped is just odd. Its shaped like a hollow square and does not look like any office building I have seen before.
La Basilique du Sacre Coeur
The Basilique du Sacre Coeur started to be built in 1900 and was completed in the year 1914. There was a lot of controversy on wether this should be built or not since France was split at the time. due to the Franco-Prussian War. But eventually it was built in honor of the men who lost their lives during the war. The architect of this structure was Paul Abadie but he died after the foundation had been laid. So other architects took his place. For example Honoré Daumet, Jean-Charles Laisné, Henri-Pierre-Marie Rauline, Lucien Magne, and Jean-Louis Hulot. The ruler who commissioned this building to be made was Émile Loubet. The building is 83 meters high, 35 meters in width, and 85 meters in length. Some interesting facts about this building is that it's made of stone with a high amount of calcite. So when it rains calcite leaks out of the stone keeping the basilica a nice white color. Some famous people connected to the site is Jesus and St. Denis.
The Conciergerie was built in the 14th century by Philip the Fair. Its original purpose was originally used as a palace for the king but later on it was used by the French Parliment. During the Reign of Terror it was used as a prison. The prisoners were treated differently depending on their status. If you had a high status you were given a room by yourself with a soft bed and possibly a window. If you were of middle class you were given a hard bed and usually had to room with someone. Those of the lowest class were given hay to sleep on, had extremely filthy rooms that would breed disease, and was roomed with several other inmates. It's 8.5 meters tall and 64 meters long. Some famous people connected to the site are Marie Antoinette. She was imprisoned here during the Reign of Terror and finally was executed by guillotine later on. Some interesting facts about this place is that when Marie Antoinette died King Louis XVIII had a chapel and a cross placed in the cell she had stayed in to honor her.
Les Invalides
The Invalides began construction in 1671 and was completed in 1678. It took seven years to complete. The reason that it was built was because King Louis XIV wanted to make a home and hospital for war veterans. It was complete with a home, hospital, and chapel for old war veterans. It was built by the architect Libéral Bruant and was commissioned by ruler King Louis XIV. It's 196 meters in length and had 15 courtyards. It has museums inside it now that hold war memorabilia. They hold war uniforms, weapons, and documents. Some interesting facts about this place is that Napoloen Bonaparte's body is housed here as well.
La Conciergerie
The Conciergerie was built in the 14th century by Philip the Fair. Its original purpose was originally used as a palace for the king but later on it was used by the French Parliment. During the Reign of Terror it was used as a prison. The prisoners were treated differently depending on their status. If you had a high status you were given a room by yourself with a soft bed and possibly a window. If you were of middle class you were given a hard bed and usually had to room with someone. Those of the lowest class were given hay to sleep on, had extremely filthy rooms that would breed disease, and was roomed with several other inmates. It's 8.5 meters tall and 64 meters long. Some famous people connected to the site are Marie Antoinette. She was imprisoned here during the Reign of Terror and finally was executed by guillotine later on. Some interesting facts about this place is that when Marie Antoinette died King Louis XVIII had a chapel and a cross placed in the cell she had stayed in to honor her.
La Palais de Versailles
The Palace of Versailles was built between the years 1664 till 1789. The reason it took so long to build because it was built in different parts then renovated and added on to. It covers about 67,000 square miles. The Palace of Versailles was at first used a home for the royal family of France and the court of France. But now it is used as a museum though the French court still use it at times. The building of this was commissioned by King Louis III and the architect of it is Jules Hardouin-Mansart. An interesting fact about the Palace of Versailles is that it has a massive garden with intricate detail to it. The treaty of Versailles that took place at this palace is the treaty that ended World War II.
Le Musée d'Orsay
The Musée d'Orsay was built off from what was originally a railway station. The actual museum wasn't actually established until 1986. The ruler who commissioned Georges Pompidou and the architects who do this is Pierre Colboc, Renaud Bardon, Jean-Paul Philippon, and Gae Aulenti. The purpose of building this museum was to have a in-between for the Louvre and the Museum of Modern Art. There are more than 25,000 artworks here and many different types as well. The different types of artwork there are paintings, sculptures, furniture, and the photography. Some interesting facts about the Orsay Museum is that it has glass walkway which was originally from the railway station.
Conclusion
The sites that I would definitely like to see are the Eiffel Tower, l'Opera Garnier, and la Conciergerie. The ones that really interest me are the Conciergerie and the Opera Garnier. The reason why the Conciergerie interests me is because of the history connected to it. It was a big part of the reign of terror that happened in France. I'm interested in finding out more about the actual prison and seeing it myself. My reason for wanting to visit the Opera Garnier is because of my interest in plays. It was the beginning of the prominent play "The Phantom of the Opera" which I'm very curious to watch. The beauty of it though is one to marvel at and I would definitely love to take a tour of this place.
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