La Defense and other Paris, France General Tips

Favorite Thing: The name "Defense" originates from the monument La Défense de Paris, which was erected at this site in 1883 to commemorate the war of 1870.

In 1951, the Defense site was chosen as an office center. In 1958, development of the area was started by a special agency, the Etablissement Public d'Amenagement de la Defense. The first plan had 2 rows of skyscrapers of equal height. In 1964, a plan was approved to have 20 office towers of 25 stories each. Little of the development on the Defence was actually built according to this plan, as most companies started to press for taller office towers. The result is a mix of mostly cheap towers of different heights. The tallest of them, the GAN Tower, measured 200 meters.The height of several towers caused a public outcry as the forest of towers disturbs the view on the Arc de Triomphe. Partly in response to this criticism a new monument was built at the entrance of the Defense as a counterweight for the Arc de Triomphe - La Grande Arche de la Defense.


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Favorite Thing: The Palais de Chaillot was constructed for the World Fair in 1937 by the architects Boileau, Carlu and Azema on the site of a previous building - the Trocadero.

The Palais de Chaillot has a central terrace with statues of gilded bronze uniting two huge pavilions (The Museum of French Monuments, the Museum of the Navy and the Museum of Man) .


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Favorite Thing: Place de la Concorde (the largest square in Paris) was created between 1757 and 1779 by Jacques-Ange Gabriel on land donated by the king in 1743.

During the Revolution, this square became the site of the guillotine, under whose blade many great figures of the time lost their heads : the king Louis XVI, the queen Marie Antoinette, Madame Roland, Robespierre.

The square became Place de la Concorde in 1795. In the centre stands an Egyptian obelisk (75 feet high, covered with hieroglyphics which illustrate the glorious deeds of the pharaoh Ramses II) from the Temple of Luxor, donated to Louis Philippe in 1831 by Mehmed-Ali. Eight statues, symbolising the main cities of France stand at the corners of the square. To the north are two gemini colonnaded buildings (designed by the same Gabriel) : Hotel Crillon and Hotel de la Marine (Ministry of the Navy).


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Favorite Thing: The Egyptian Obelisk stands in the middle of Place de la Concorde.


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Favorite Thing: These are the twins buidings in Place de la Concorde - Hotel Crillon and Hotel de la Marine


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Favorite Thing: This severe and imposing building dates from the time of Philip the Fair (end of 13th century - beginning of the 14th century).

Built on the site of the substantial remains of Palais des Capetiens, La Conciergerie is the oldest prison in France and is where Marie Antoinette was imprisoned during the French Revolution. Its name derives from concierge - the name of the royal governor who was in charge of the building.

Today, La Conciergerie constitutes a wing of the Palais de Justice. What to see : the Hall of the Guards, the Hall of the Men-at-Arms, the ancient cells and the four towers - Tour de l'Horloge, Tour Bombec, Tour d'Argent and Tour de Cesar.

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Location : 1 Quai de l'Horloge, 75001 Paris

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Access :
Metro: lines 1, 4, 7, 11 and 14
Bus : lines 21, 24, 27, 38, 58, 81, 85 and Balabus
RER : lines B and C

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Favorite Thing: L'Hotel de Ville (Paris City Hall) is situated in the centre of a huge square which for five centuries was the site of public executions.

This imposing building was designed by Deperthes and Ballu (a former 16th century building in Renaissance style designed by Domenico da Cortona and destroyed by fire in 1871 was the source of inspiration).

More detailed information at www.mairie-paris.fr (the official site).


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Favorite Thing: walk along the famous Rue de Rivoli


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Favorite Thing: Ile de la Cite is the cradle of Parisian civilization. It was here that the Parisii tribe lived; the Romans, led by Caesar's lieutenant Labenius, conquered the Parisii in 52 AD and set up camp. The city was given the name Lutecia, from the Latin lutum meaning "mud". During the barbarian invasion, Lutecia's inhabitants, galvanized by the young Sainte Genevieve, took refuge on the easily defended Ile de la Cite. Clovis, king of the Francs and defeater of the Romans, made the island his capital. It stayed the area's center of activity throughout the Middle ages.
In the 9th century, the Norman invasions subjected Paris to repeated Viking attacks. One such attack in 885 met with the resistance led by Count Eudes, later king; once again, the defeat was organized on the island.
The island kept its role as a religious and judicial center throughout the Middle Ages. Notre-Dame (begun in 1163 under the guidance of bishop Maurice de Sully on a spot sacred since Roman times), Sainte-Chapelle (built in 1245 under the reign of St-Louis), and the Conciergerie are the last three Middle-Aged buildings left on the island. Nonetheless, you can still see remnants of medieval streets on the square in front of Notre-Dame. The plaque here in the square is the zero-point for all distances measured from other towns to Paris, underlining yet again the central role of the island in Parisian history.


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