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Outi on äitimme

Pariisi

Pariisi on kylläkin kaupunki. Sieltä löytyy 2.2 miljoonaa asuvaista.

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History of Eiffel Tower

Before you indulge into Eiffel Tower history, you should go back to the end of the 19th century, when Paris was becoming a cultural and art center with its bourgeois salons, clubs and theaters.

At the time, the city was hosting a series of World Exhibitions, unprecedented in history, which attracted millions of visitors from around the world.

Eiffel Tower History

Eiffel Tower History – Exposition Universelle, 1889

 

It was then, for the 1889 Centennial Exposition, when the french Minister of Commerce and Industry Edouard Lockroy posted a note in Journal Officiel, announcing a bid to construct an iron tower on the Champ de Mars.

107 projects were submitted, and the one to win the contest was the proposal of french entrepreneur Gustave Eiffel, together with engineers Maurice Koechlin and Emile Nouguier, and architect Stephen Sauvestre.

Gustave Eiffel was awarded a subsidy to construct the tower and was given the right to operate it for 20 years.

Eiffel Tower construction began on January 28, 1887 and took more than two years to complete. The tower was inaugurated on March 31, 1889 and served as an entrance arc for the World Exhibition. With its original height, the Eiffel Tower took its place in history by being the tallest building in the world until 1930.

Even before it’s construction was completed, the Eiffel Tower caused a strong controversy among french intellectuals. Newspapers were full of letters criticizing the erection of the Eiffel tower, with many of the critics considering it outrageous.

Eiffel Tower cost was also a matter of concern, as it reached almost eight million gold french francs of 1889.

Nevertheless, since its opening for the public, Eiffel Tower visits surpassed 250,000 million, making it the most visited landmark in world’s history.

 

The best museums and art galleries in Paris

The Louvre

The Louvre

A behemoth of a museum, the Louvre has galleries and wings so vast you could easily spend a day feasting your eyes on treasures like the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and Egyptian mummies - not to mention on the building itself, which sports sumptuous architecture erected and remodelled over the centuries by the rulers of France. When cultural overload sets in, take a breather in the Café Mollien at the top of the grand Mollien staircase. Great for a restorative sandwich, its terrace also offers one of Paris’s finest views over the Louvre’s Tuileries gardens. 

Musée d'Orsay

The old Belle Époque Orsay train station was converted into the Musée D’Orsay in 1986 to house one of the world’s largest collections of Impressionist and Post-impressionist art. Aside from works by Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh and Toulouse-Lautrec, you'll find a dapper collection of decorative arts from the Art Nouveau era and a wide range of 19th-century sculpture. Digest it over coffee in the café behind the museum’s giant transparent clock. And don’t miss the classical music concerts in the Auditorium. The performances are consistently top-notch and usually involve world-famous musicians. 
 

Centre Pompidou

Centre Pompidou

As cutting-edge as ever, the ‘extra-skeletal’ Centre Pompidou is home to modern art treasures by (amongst others) Braque, Dubuffet, Matisse and Ernst, plus ever-changing temporary art exhibitions that ensure that no two visits are ever the same. Get there early when the queues are bearable, or arrive at 6pm and stay until closing time at 9pm, after which Georges, the Pompidou’s trendy rooftop bar-cum-restaurant, serves moreish cocktails in a futuristic setting with panoramic views over the city. 

Opéra Garnier

Take in classical ballet at Palais Garnier

The 'wedding cake', as the Palais Garnier is nicknamed, wows a highbrow crowd with some of the world’s best ballet and the occasional opera. The building is an ode to opulence, dripping in marble and gold leaf. It’s also rather fascinating, with the underground lake that inspired Gaston Leroux to write Phantom of the Opera (now used by the fire-service for diving training), and beehives on the roof which produce the honey on sale in the Boutique de l’Opéra. To make a night of it, opt for dinner in the Restaurant de l’Opéra - an avant-garde, red and white affair set in the Palais Garnier’s former horse and carriage quarters. 
 

 

Les Passages Couverts

More than just olde-worlde shopping malls, Les Passages Couverts around the Grand Boulevards are atmospheric old covered passages that date from the 18th and 19th centuries. Glass-roofed and utterly charming, their second-hand bookshops, tea-rooms and gift boutiques make fun alternatives to stores elsewhere in Paris, and some of them wouldn’t look out of place as the setting for a Sherlock Holmes mystery – especially the Gallerie Vivienne and the Passage Jouffroy, which houses the Musée Grévin, Paris’s answer to Madame Tussauds. 
 

Attend an auction at Drouot

Not as daunting as it might seem, an afternoon at Drouot, Paris’ main auction house, can be great fun, even if you don’t fancy spending. On the day before the auction (and on the morning itself), drool over the objects for sale, then come back for the show (usually 2pm). Anyone can take part; and you don’t have to sign up beforehand. Neither do you have to worry about sneezing or scratching your head - it’s the role of Drouot’s commissaires des ventes (auctioneers) to distinguish a real bid from nose twitching. 

Scale the Eiffel Tower

The most famous edifice in the world, the Eiffel Tower, was originally erected as a temporary exhibit for a World Fair. Thank god it wasn’t pulled down! It provides heart-stopping views over Paris and is visible from most vantage points across the city. There’s also a panoramic champagne bar on the 3rd floor, a brasserie, and the Michelin-starred Jules Verne restaurant where Alain Ducasse creates elaborate dishes. At night, cross the river to Trocadéro to watch Eiffel’s girders sparkle like fairy lights on a Christmas tree (every hour, on the hour). 
 

 

Free your inner architect at Cité Chaillot

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Walk your way through 900 years of French architecture at the wonderful Cité Chaillot, set inside the vast Palais Chaillot, built for the 1937 World Fair. Everything from monumental moulded portions of French cathedrals to copies of rare 11th-century frescoes and industrial-era construction models cover the walls, floors and ceiling. If you’re into modern architecture the highlight has to be a mock Le Corbusier apartment, copied from the Cité Radieuse in Marseille. Kids are well catered for with play sections of building blocks and stained glass window puzzles. 
 

Cité des Sciences et de l'industrie

Cité des Sciences

Kids love the hands-on aspect of futuristic Cité des Sciences, where mock submarines and rockets, a planetarium and a whole array of interactive science games prove that communications, physics and technology can be fun. Once everyone’s IQ has been bolstered, the grassy expanses of Parc de la Villette are ideal for a stroll or a picnic. You can also combine your ticket with the Géode Imax cinema, which shows fun, science-related 3D films inside a giant silver golf ball structure. 
 

 
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris

Hunt gargoyles on Notre-Dame's rooftop

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Quasimodo certainly had good taste: the views from Notre-Dame cathedral’s towers are nothing short of stupendous, especially on a cloudy day, when the skies spin a moody hue across the River Seine and on towards the Eiffel Tower. From the top you also get the best view of the cathedral’s famous gargoyles - cheeky little chimeras whose ugly mugs watch over the city below. Unbeknown to most, they’re not originals; architect Viollet-le-Duc added them in the mid 19th-century when he restored the cathedral to its former glory. 
 

La Conciergerie

La Conciergerie and Sainte-Chapelle

Behind its allure as a fairytale castle, the turreted Conciergerie (the first royal palace, also known as the Palais de la Cité) hides a bloody past: During the Revolution it served as a prison for those condemned to the guillotine, including Queen Marie-Antoinette. Remnants of its revolutionary history are still visible in mock prison cells, but the Conciergerie’s main draw nowadays is its stunning medieval architecture. After visiting, head up the road to the 13th-century Sainte-Chapelle, which contains some of the finest stained glass windows in the world. 
Read more about La Conciergerie and Sainte-Chapelle

 

Musée des Arts Décoratifs

Musée des Arts Décoratifs

Perfect for a cultural lunch break or a lazy afternoon, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs is a temple to French interior design, showing how lifestyle and taste have evolved from medieval times to today. Everything from the Duc de Berry’s gold-encrusted cradle to chairs by Philippe Starck are on display. There’s also an interesting set of rooms that reconstructs the living quarters of key figures like couturier Jeanne Lanvin, whose 1920s boudoir, bedroom and bathroom are in on show. At the end of you visit, grab a restorative cocktail in the Arts Décoratifs’ restaurant-bar, Le Saut du Loup
 

Climb the Arc de Triomphe

Power up your legs and climb the 284 steps to the top of the Arc de Triomphe. The views sweep in geometric splendour between the arc of la Defense and the Louvre. It’s also a plum spot for observing Parisian driving techniques: the unmarked traffic island creates speedy anarchy with cars nipping around invisible lanes like beetles with a death wish. In fact, have an accident here and it’s automatically 50/50 on the insurance claim, no matter whose fault it is. Back on solid ground, spare a thought for the Unknown Soldier whose grave sits solemnly in the centre of the arch. 
 

Musée du Petit Palais

Do the Grand and Petit Palais in one day

On Avenue Winston Churchill, the Grand and Petit Palais are photogenic throwbacks to Paris’ 1900 World Fair. The big one houses world-class temporary arts exhibitions and a science museum; meanwhile the little one charms with fine arts that span the period from antiquity to 1918. Ease yourself in gently with the Petit Palais; have lunch at Mini-Palais (the Grand Palais’ restaurant managed by Le Bristol’s acclaimed chef Eric Fréchon); then see which chef d’oeuvres the Grand Palais is concealing beneath its iconic glass roof. 
Read more about Petit Palais and Grand Palais

Opéra Bastille

Enjoy world-class opera at Bastille

What the Opéra Bastille lacks in aesthetics (its façade looks like an monochromatic Tetris game gone wrong) it gains with the quality and variety of its opera and ballet performances. Here you can enjoy cutting-edge renditions of 20th-century works like ‘Lulu’ by Alban Berg, or opt for 19th-century French classics like Charles Gounod’s ‘Faust’ and Jules Massenet’s ‘Manon’. Christmas is always a fine time to go, when Opéra Bastille joins forces with the Palais Garnier to showcase international opera favourites by composers like Verdi. 
 

 
Musée de Montmartre

Explore Montmartre

A hundred and fifty years of urbanisation have done little to dent the villagey charm of Montmartre: watched over by the neo-byzantine Sacré-Coeur, its cobbled lanes feel surprisingly rural right down to its tiny vineyard. The main attractions are no secret, however, so avoid the tourists by visiting the Musée de Montmartre, a petite, lesser-known museum that recounts Montmartre’s history as a centre for artists like Toulouse Lautrec. Or discover cutting-edge Outsider Art at the fabulous Halle St-Pierre – a former covered market that houses the Max Fourney Art Brut collection. 
Read more about Musée de Montmartre and Halle St-Pierre

Musée du Quai Branly

Musée du Quai Branly

On the edge of the Seine, by the Eiffel Tower, Musée du Quai Branly is an urban jungle; an earth-toned, neo-cubist structure signed Jean Nouvel and shrouded in vegetation, including a botanical wall. Inside you’ll find a fascinating collection of primitive art treasures from Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas, all displayed along dimly-lit winding paths. If you fancy a gourmet pause, the Quai Branly’s rooftop restaurant, Les Ombres, serves fusion cuisine with views onto the Eiffel Tower. 

Musée National du Moyen Age - Thermes de Cluny

Musée de Cluny

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Most people visit the Musée de Cluny to see the extraordinary Lady and the Unicorn tapestries. But inside this chocolate-box gothic mansion you’ll also find hundreds of intriguing medieval objects, including the epitaph of 15th-century Parisian alchemist Nicolas Flamel, who supposedly made the philosopher’s stone (if Harry Potter is to be believed). The Cluny’s other draws are an extraordinary collection of ancient stained glass fragments and a Gallo-Roman section, which leads you down below street level to former Roman baths, including a frigadarium (cold bath). 

Les Invalides & Musée de l'Armée

Les Invalides

The Sun King built the gold-domed Invalides as a military compound, but Napoleon got the final word: his tomb takes pride of place inside its Dôme church. The rest of this vast complex is home to one of the world’s largest collections of armoury, with a particularly impressive section devoted to armour from the 13th to the 17th century. The Second World War – or at least Général de Gaulle’s part in it – gets good coverage too in the Invalides’ multi-media Charles de Gaulle section. A must for war buffs. 
 

Les Catacombes

Les Catacombes

Descend, if you dare, into the entrails of the city. The Catacombs are without doubt the spookiest attraction Paris has to offer, with kilometres of tunnels lined with the femurs and skulls of defunct Parisians. Created 18 metres underground in the late 18th-century to stop disease from spreading from overrun inner-city cemeteries, they now make for a chilling stroll. Just don’t feel tempted to nick any bones: Yorrick might look good on your mantelpiece but the Catacombes look down on grave-robbing and the guards check your bags on the way out. 
 

Musée Gustave Moreau

The Musée Gustave Moreau makes you feel like you’re stepping onto the set of a 19th-century period film: gorgeous knick-knacks fill rooms that look just as they did when the symbolist artist lived here and around 1300 paintings pepper the walls over three storeys. Best of all is the light-filled workshop on the 3rd floor where Moreau used to paint. Climb the swirly iron staircase to feast your eyes on chef-d’oeuvres like the 2m-tall Jupiter and Semele – a hypnotic fest of blues, green and golds, in which Moreau spins his own interpretation of the Classical myth. 
 

Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin

Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin

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The Marais is an El Dorado for contemporary art collectors, with a maze of streets given over to top galleries. Of all those places, however, Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin stands out above the rest. It's the establishment that gave Damien Hirst his first solo show in 1991: since then it has showcased a constant stream of headliners like Maurizio Cattelan, Takashi Murakami, Sophie Calle and Tatiana Trouvé. Best of all it’s free to look around, so you can get your art fix for zip. 
 

Musée Rodin

Musée Rodin

Canoodling opportunities abound in the gardens of the Musée Rodin, without doubt one of Paris’ most romantic green bits, strewn with Rodin’s greatest statues, including The Thinker, The Gates of Hell and Balzac. Inside the Hôtel Biron, where Rodin worked until the end of his life, you’ll find oodles of his works, including The Kiss, but also a touching selection by his tortured lover, Camille Claudel. On a sunny day, grab an ice cream in the garden and eat it on your way to the marble gallery, where Rodin’s most fragile, exquisite statues are displayed behind glass. 

 

 

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