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Bon5941 The Paris of old stones and dreams

The history of Paris can be read in its stones as well as in books... A monumental condensation of styles which will not leave the attentive stroller unmoved. Antiquity left a heritage of its public baths and arenas to the city. The Middle Ages remains present with the Romanesque bell-tower of Saint-German-des-Près, and the delicacy of the Sainte Chapelle affirms the miracle of Gothic. Paris is also the Classicism of the Grand Siècle, its domes and pediments, its dream of Antiquity already touched by the Renaissance. You will be charmed by the eclecticism of the Second Empire, the thrust of Haussmann’s boulevards, and the metal architecture celebrated by the Eiffel Tower, which spearheaded Art Nouveau. Art Deco did not lag far behind, and its modernity heralded the future concrete-and-glass emblems of a city in constant renewal.

Modern times

-corbusierUnder the influence of great architects such as Le Corbusier, the appearance of constructions was simplified, rejecting all ornamentation, and grew more diversified. Architecture utilised industrial materials such as concrete, steel and glass.

From the fifties through the seventies technical prowess and new forms somewhat changed the Parisian landscape: the immense concrete vault of the CNIT at La Défense, the seat of Unesco constructed on piles, the Maison de la Radio, the Montparnasse Tower and the towers of the business quarter of La Défense were the new reference points in the capital’s skyline.

-viletteIn 1977 the Pompidou Centre was the talk of the town with its bold esthetics in the very heart of Paris, in rendering visible the entire structure of its construction. Quarters were modernised and remodelled: Les Halles, Montparnasse, Grenelle with the Front de Seine, La Villette… Glass facades were more and more in fashion.

Under the presidency of François Mitterand, major works were undertaken and gave Paris new monuments: the glass Pyramid of the Louvre, the Grande Arche de la Défense, the Opéra Bastille or the National Library of France. It was also the time of the creation of the Institut du Monde Arabe and the Fondation Cartier. While awaiting the marvels of the future Quai Branly Museum.

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