You couldnt possibly visit Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower. Even if you do not want to visit this world famous structure, you will see its top from all over Paris. The tower rises 300 meters tall and it was completed at the end of the nineteenth century it was twice as high as the Washington Monument, at the time the tallest structure in the world.
1889 World Exhibition: The Eiffel Tower was built for the World Exhibition in 1889,wich was held in celebration of the French Revolution in 1789.
The construction was only meant to last for the duration of the Exposition, but it still stands today, despite all protests from contemporary artists who feared the construction would be the arrival of structures without “individuality” and despite the many people who feared that this huge “object” would not fit into the architecture of Paris.
Eiffel Tower at night, there is no such aversion anymore among the Parisians, and one could not imagine Paris without the Eiffel Tower, actually it has become the symbol of the City of Light.
Gustave Eiffel: The man behind the Eiffel Tower was Gustave Eiffel, known from his revolutionary bridge building techniques, employed in the great viaduct at Garabit in 1884. These techniques would form the basis for the construction of the Eiffel Tower. He was also known for the construction of the Statue of Libertys iron framework.
The structure took more than two years to complete. Each one of the nearly 12,000 iron pieces were designed Eiffel Tower in the evening to give them exactly the shape needed. All pieces were prefabricated and put together using approximately Seven million nails. Inaugurated March 31, 1889, the Eiffel Tower would be the tallest structure in the world until the completion of the Chrysler Building in 1930.
Notre Dame Cathedral
Another attraction for tourists is the Notre Dame Cathedral, might be the most famous of all cathedrals. The Gothic masterpiece is located on the” Île de la Cité”, a small island in the heart of the city.
The site of the Notre dame is the cradle of Paris and has always been the religious center of the city. The Celts had their sacred ground here, the Romans built a temple to worship Jupiter. The Christian basilica was built in the sixth century and the last religious structure before the Notre-Dame construction started at a Romanesque church.
Bishop Maurice de Sully started the construction in 1163. The Cathedral was to be built in the new Gothic style and had to reflect Pariss status as the capital of the Kingdom France. It was the first cathedral built on a monumental scale and became the prototype for future cathedrals in France, like the cathedrals of Amiens, Chartres or Rheims, just to name the most famous.
The Building: It took until 1345 before the cathedral was completed, partly because the design was enlarged during construction. The result is an overwhelming building, 128 meters long with two 69 meter tall towers. The spire over the siege is 90 meters and was added in the nineteenth century by Viollet-le-Duc. The Notre-Dame Cathedral has several large rose windows, the northern thirteenth-century window is the most impressive.
Restoration: During the Revolution, many of the cathedrals sculptures, gargoyles and interior were removed or demolished. Even the gallery of Kings was severely damaged: the revolutionaries though the statues represented French Kings.
Victor Hugo, who with his book Notre-Dame de Paris, made the Parisians realize the cathedral was worth restoring. It was not until the nineteenth century before the Cathedral was fully restored thanks to the writer. The twenty-year-long restoration was led by a local architect, Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc. Viollet-le-Duc made drastic, controversial modifications to the building and even added a spire. The cathedral was restored again between 1991 and 2001, this time the architecture was carefully preserved.
Tourism: The year 1999 saw France as the top destination for travelers around the world, with the overwhelming majority including Paris in their visit to France. Over 70 million tourists visited the City of Light last year, spending nearly $30 million (American dollars) in France. The best tours of Paris are by boat. One can get a one-hour cruise on the Seine in a sightseeing boat called a bateaumouche, which features the main monuments, bridges, and cathedrals (the best view ever of Notre Dame) and gives a history of the city. Bus tours are provided by various companies: Cityrama, Vision, and Parisbus are a few of the large companies. The official tourist information center is at the Hôtel de Ville (town hall). However, there are tourist information centers at all train stations and airports.
