Paris, la Ville Lumière
• Capital of France
• Capital of fashion, art,
technology and cuisine
• Nickname= city of
light= knowledge
• Approx. 12 miles
across
Notre Dame de Paris
• Name means “Our Lady”=
Mary
• Located on Ile de la Cité
• Gothic cathedral
pointy arches, gargoyles,
stained glass, tall=600 feet
• Took 200 years to build during
the middle ages
• Built to house the crown of
thorns and cross
• Parvis= small plaque in front on
sidewalk that measures all
distances to and from Paris
• 2 front towers were left
unfinished
La Sainte-Chapelle
• Small gothic cathedral
• Only took 20 years to
build
• Home of the crown of
thorns and portion of the
cross
• Next door to Notre Dame
• Famous for stained glass
windows
• Connected to Palais de
Justice / Supreme Court
Sacré Cœur
• Name means “Sacred
heart” built to honor
Catholics who were
martyred on the hillside
• White basilica= domed
church
• In Montmartre, district to
north known for artists
• Located on Place du Tertre
La Madeleine
• White Greek-style
temple
• On Rive Droite / Right
Bank
• No windows
• Built by Louis XV
• Sculptures of the 10
commandments
Le Pont Neuf
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• Name means “New Bridge”
• Oldest bridge in Paris - begun 1578 &
finished 1607
• Connects Ile de la Cité to the Rive Droite &
the Rive Gauche
L’Arc de Triomphe
• Built by Napoleon
• Roman in style
• On Place de l’Etoile which
was later renamed Place
Charles de Gaulle, after
the French President
• 12 avenues that radiate out
form a Rond Point (traffic
circle)
• Located at end of the
Champs Elysées
L’Arc du Carrousel
• Built by Napoleon in 1800
• Roman in style
• Resembles Arc de
Triomphe, but smaller and
has 3 arches
• 3 arches = liberty, equality
and brotherhood
• Outside Louvre, marks
entrance to Tuileries
Gardens
La Grande Arche
• Built in 1989 for France’s
bi-centennial
• Modern interpretation of
the Arc de Triomphe
• Modern office building,
“cubes”
• Located in La Défense
district
• Has a strange bat-like tarp
that hangs in the middle
• So large that Notre Dame
would fit inside the arch!
La Tour Eiffel
• Built in 1889 for the
Universal Expo + France’s
centennial
• 3 étages (levels)
• Controversial - hate turned
to love
• Has restaurants, movie
theaters and shops
• Military post, satellite and
weather station
• Located on the Champs de
Mars which is on the Rive
Gauche / left bank
Le Louvre
• Former royal palace
• Largest art museum in the
world, through 1890
• New entrance, glass
pyramid
• Famous works include La
Joconde = Mona Lisa;
Winged Victory = Nike;
Venus de Milo
La Joconde
• By Leonardo Da Vinci
• Italian painter brought
to France by François
I during the
Renaissance
• Unknown woman with
a strange glance
La Victoire de Samothrace
• Known as Nike, the
Greek goddess of
victory
• Nike adopted the
swoosh and Just-do-it
logo, after the Winged
Goddess of Victory
La Vénus de Milo
• Famous Greek statue
of the goddess
Aphrodite
• Carved of marble
about 100 BC
• Found in 1820 on the
island of Milos
Le Palais de Chaillot
• 4 museums: science +
mankind, Naval, and
Cinematography
• Home of Einstein’s brain
• Shaped like two
embracing arms
• Center area has a
platform, excellent for
viewing the Eiffel Tower
Le Musée Rodin
• Former hotel, turned
art museum
• Ground and hotel used
to display statues by
Rodin
• Le Penseur (The
Thinker) is a famous
statue which greets
you at the garden’s
entrance
Musée d’Orsay
• Former train station
• Art museum which
houses art from 18501920
• Known for its
Impressionist
paintings
Claude Monet
Auguste Renoir
Vincent Van Gogh
Le Centre Pompidou
• Modern art museum
• Also known as
Beaubourg, this
district where it is
located
• Renamed for the
French President who
was in charge of its
development, Georges
Pompidou
L’Hôtel des Invalides
• Former church
• First used by Louis XV to
house wounded soldiers
• Napoleon also used it for
his soldiers
• Contains military history
museum and veteran’s
center
• Napoleon is buried here
Champs Elysées
• Most famous street in
Paris
• Begins at Place de la
Concorde
• Ends at L’Arc de
Triomphe
• Up-hill, tree-lined
• All parades and political
events happen here
Place de la Concorde
• Square outside the
Louvre
• Former site of the
guillotine
• Today the Obelisk de
Luxor, a gift from
Eygpt, stands there
Le Jardin des Tuileries
• Garden outside the Louvre
• The Tuileries wing of the
Louvre burned; all that
remains are the gardens
• Kings of France used to
stroll here
• Fountains used for toy
boat races
La Cimetière Père LaChaise
• Famous cemetery
• Eternal resting place
for many famous
singers and actors
• Jim Morrison, Edie
Piaf, Charles Balzac,
Chopin, ToulouseLautrec, Marcel Proust
Le Jardin du Luxembourg
• Gardens and home of
the French Senate
• On the Rive Gauche,
left bank
• Cinquième
arrondissement, 5th
• In the Latin Quarter
• Near the Sorbonne
University
La Conciergerie
• Former Prison for the
elite, aristocracy
• Marie Antoinette was
held here
• Dungeons and torture
chambers, Oubliettes,
and Leper Colony
• Today - museum and
concert hall
La Bastille
• Former prison that
was stormed and
destroyed at the outset
of the French
Revolution July 14,
1789
• Prison and armory
L’Hôtel de Ville
• Municipal building
that houses city
administrative offices
• Almost destroyed by
fire in 1871, most of
the building had to be
rebuilt
L’Opèra
• Home of the French
ballet
• Inspired the story
Phantom of the Opera,
famous staircase,
chandelier, and river
beneath the building
• On Place de la Bastille
La Sorbonne
• Oldest university in
France
• On Rive Gauche,
cinquième
arrondissement
• In Latin Quarter, as all
classes were taught in
Latin
L’Odéon
• Theater built
especially for Marie
Antoinette
• Still used today for
concerts and other
productions
Le Moulin Rouge
• Name means “Red Mill”
• Trademark is the red
windmill located on the
roof
• Famous nightclub, shows
• Can-Can Dance
• Located in Montmartre, on
Place Pigalle
Le Château Versailles
• Little hunting cabin in the
woods, became the
largest, most lavish home
in the world
• “built” by Louis XIV to
lure nobles out of Paris so
that the King could rule
without interference
• About 12 miles south of
Paris
• It was rebuilt several times
since the 17th century
Le Château Fontainebleau
• Famous castle near
Paris
• Famous for its horseshoe shaped staircase
• Many movies have
been filmed here
Giverney
• Monet’s home and
gardens
• Water lilies and
Japanese gardens
served as a source of
artistic inspiration
• About 30 minutes
north of Paris
Malmaison
• Famous castle near
Paris
• Home to Napoleon, as
Versailles was in ruins
and France was not
able to afford to
restore it.