Paris

Paris occupies a very special place in the cultural heritage of the world: all men and women, wherever they come from, discover a little piece of their imagination here. There are a thousand and one faces to Paris. The site itself has been inhabited since Paleolithic times. The city grew from an island on the Seine settled by a Gallic tribe, the Parisii (2nd century B.C.), hence its name. There is the Paris of every day, with its hundred villages and "small trades." This is the Paris where it is so pleasant to live, with its secret gardens like the ones on the banks of the Seine, or in the Marais and Saint-Germain des PrŽs.

There is the Paris of monuments, which the entire world seems to have known for a long time: Notre-Dame, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the SacrŽ Coeur, etc. And of course, there is the bubbling, imaginative and lively Paris, always ready for a party or for a show, the Paris of the arts and of creativity. Paris is also a city of challenge, ambition, and determination to succeed. And there is the dynamic and active business world of Paris, with a constant economic revival. Paris is also a city of major works from which is emerging the modern face of the 20th century, that of Bercy, the new Montparnasse and the Left Bank. Paris which has no intention of becoming a museum city, but which discloses itself by chance, when wandering through its streets, meeting its people, encountering the unexpected. It is a city which belongs to the realm of the imagination.

POPULATION Inner city: 2,200,000 habitants Urban area: 9,000,000 habitants INTERESTING FACTS Notre-Dame, is the heart of Paris, the heart of France marked by a bronze plate indicating the starting point for all the roads in the country. A visit to Paris often begins here. The hundred museums of Paris, with their rich collections of masterpieces, provide an attractive short-cut to the knowledge, creativity and adventures of mankind Twenty one million tourists visit Paris and its region every year. About one out of four come for professional reasons (conferences, conventions, colloquiums, trade fairs, promotional visits, etc.). . PLACES TO VISIT Notre-Dame Cathedral Notre-Dame is the heart of Paris, the heart of France marked by a bronze plate indicating the starting point for all the roads in the country. A visit to Paris often begins here. Notre-Dame Cathedral is now viewed as one of the key defining examples of the style which was to become known as Ile-de-France Gothic. By the early nineteenth century few Parisians valued their medieval past very highly.Interest in the medieval building was largely rekindled by Victor Hugo's novel Notre-Dame de Paris. Eiffel Tour In 1889, when the Tour Eiffel was completed,it was the tallest building in the world at 300m. It was originally built as a temporary structure to commemorate the centenary of the Revolution. Bastille The Bastille has alot of importance in French history. By crossing the Seine and following the Boulevard de la Bastille, you will find the site of the Bastille Saint-Antoine, which was a major part of the defences ordered by Charles V. Champs Elysee and Arc de Triomphe The glamour of the Champs-°lysÚes, particularly its upper end, may not be quite what it was, dominated as it is by airline offices, car showrooms, and bright, light shopping arcades. The Louvre Gallery Paris. A medieval fortress, the palace of the kings of France, and a museum for the last two centuries. The architecture of the Louvre Palace bears witness to more than 800 years of history. Established in 1793 by the French Republic, the Louvre Museum, is one of the earliest European museums.