Musee du Louvre-
The Louvre Museum has a history that goes all the way back to medieval times. It was first built in 1190 by King Phillipe-Ausguste as a fortress. Following King Phillipe-Auguste, the building was lived in, improved, and enlarged by four centuries of Kings. in 1692 King Louis XIV moved to the Palace of Versailles, leaving the Louvre as place to display the royal collection. It was opened up as a museum in 1793 with an exhibition of 537 paintings. Due to structural problems it was closed from 1796 until 1801. Under Napolean the size of the collection was greatly increased and therefore named Musee Napolean. Since then it has obviously been renamed the Louvre. As of 2008 the vast collection has been divided into eight different departments.
The world-famous Mona Lisa is a 16th century oil painting painted by Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo began work on the painting in 1503 during the Italian Renaissance but lingered over it for years. He brought it with him from Italy to France in 1516 when King Francois I invited him to come and work near his palace. He finally completed it right before he died in 1519. The king bought the painting for 4,000 ecus from the heirs of Leonardo's assistant and kept it at Chateau Fontainebleau. Since then the Mona Lisa has been moved to many different locations. Louis XIV moved the painting to the Palace of Vesailles but was moved again after the French Revolution to the Louvre. Napolean had it moved to his bedroom at Tuileries Palace for a short time, before it was returned to the Louvre where it remains today... obviously.
This building embodies perfectly the history of Paris, more so than any other building. It stands right on an island in the Seine river called Ile de la Cite (City Island). Built on the site of a Roman temple, the first stone was laid in 1163 which marked the start of two centuries of toil by armies of medieval architects. It was not completed until the mid 1240s. This building has seen many significant events including: - 1239, the Crown of Thorns is placed in the cathedral by St. Louis - 1804, coronation ceremony for Napolean I - state funeral of Charles de Gaulle
This building was originally built on the City Island as a royal palace. Phillippe le Bel chose this beautiful place to build it in the 14th century as way to show his wealth and stature. In the middle ages, the palace was considered one of the finest in the world. Later, when Charles V chose to move to the Louvre, the building was given to Parliament to be used as the kingdoms's administrative offices. In 1931, the palace had been converted into a prison. Wealthy prisoners were given good accommodations but the petty thieves were left to sleep in dark rooms infested with rodents where they often caught diseases and even died of the plague. It is now open to the public as a national historic monument.
Built to commemorate the centennial of the revolution, the 1,063 ft tower was originally only supposed to be temporary. It was designed by Gustave Eiffel (hence the name) and was the world's tallest building until the Empire State Building was built in 1931. Numerous stunts have been pulled here, one of which included a local man who launched himself from the tower using a cape as wings... needless to say it didn't end well.
fun facts: - there are 1,665 steps from top to bottom - the tower is held together by 2.5 million rivets - it never sways more than 7 cm (2.5 in.) - it weighs 10,100 tons - 50 tons of paint are used every seven years.
Located directly at the end of the world famous *Champs-Elysees Avenue, the Arc de Triomphe stands tall at 164 feet. Building of this arc began in 1806, approximately a year after Napolean's greatest victory at the Battle of Austerlitz. After the battle he promised his med that they would "go home beneath triumphal arches." Although the first stone of what was to be the worlds most famous triumphal arch was laid in 1806, it's completion was delayed until 1836 due to distruptions with the Architects plans combined with the demise of Napoleonic power. Decorating the arc are many shields and sculptures depicting military scenes such as the Napoleonic battles of Austerlitz and Aboukir. In 1921 the body of the Unknown Soldier was put beneath the arch to commemorate the dead of WWI.
*Champs-Elysees- This world famous avenue began to become well-known around 1667. It has been know as the triumphal way ever since the homecoming of Napoeon's body from St. Helena in 1840. It became the most fashionable boulevard in Paris in the 19th century when cafes and restaurants were added.
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