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- Paris has 5 statues of Liberty. This might come as a surprising Paris fact to many as the most known one is in New York but Paris also has a number of replicas of Statues of Liberty.
- Paris has one of the most famous paintings in the world. The Louvre Museum in Paris houses the most prestigious and most famous painting in the world, the Monalisa by Leonardo da Vinci.
- There are 20 arrondissements in the city. Paris is segmented into 20 different arrondissements which can also be referred to as districts.
- Paris is referred to as the city of light. One of the nicknames for Paris is the City of Light! I am sure almost everyone knows this as one of the facts in Paris.
- There are no stop signs in Paris. It’s true albeit a little surprising that the French capital has no stop signs. The city removed the last stop sign in 2016 and relies solely on traffic lights and good-faith to keep the roads from diving into chaos.
- The Louvre is the biggest art museum in the world. The Louvre is a non-negotiable pit-stop for anyone visiting Paris for the first time. One of the most impressive facts about Paris is that the Louvre is the largest museum in the world by size.
- The Notre Dame is Considered Paris’ Point Zero. If you’re ever road-tripping across the French countryside and read “100 kilometers to Paris” the distance is measured in reference to “point zero,” a plaque in front of the Cathedral of Notre Dame.
- France uses 12 different time zones. The next time you find yourself complaining about the time-zone differences in your country I want you to think of the following: France used 12 different time zones, and it used to be 13!
- Paris Has More Than a Hundred Museums. Paris houses around 140 museums. These include some of the most famous worldwide such as the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, and the Musée Carnavalet.
- Paris Has Two Natural Islands. The River Seine has two natural islands in Paris, the Île Saint-Louis and the Île de la Cité. Île Saint-Louis is 11 hectares; Île de la Cité is 22.5 hectares.
- The Eiffel Tower is in the Public Domain, but Not Its Lights. French law dictates that any work of art is copyrighted for the artist’s life plus seventy years.
- The Eiffel Tower Was Supposed to Be Temporary. The Eiffel Tower, built in 1886, was supposed to stand for only 20 years. However, creator Gustave Eiffel promoted its scientific potential as a high point for experiments.
- The City’S Motto Is “Fluctuat Nec Mergitur.”
- It Was Originally A Roman City called Lutetia.
- There Were Ancient Walls Surrounding The City.
- It Became A Cultural Capital Under King Clovis.
- Pont Neuf Is The Oldest Bridge in Paris.
- The City Was Nearly Destroyed in WWII.
- The Eiffel Tower Was Supposed to Be temporary.
- The Champs Elysées Used to Be Rural countryside.
- The Arc de Triomphe Became A Rallying Point For French and Foreign Armies.
- Many of Paris’s Classic Buildings Were Designed by A Man Named Baron Haussmann.
The motto of Paris is Fluctuat nec mergiturin latin which means “She is tossed by the waves, but does not sink”. A fitting motto for a city that has seen much upheaval.
One of the facts about Paris, is that that was not always its name. Paris was originally inhabited by a Celtic tribe called the Parisii. Then came the Roman Empire when it became a city called Lutetia. It was not the biggest city in Roman times either, that honor went to Lyon, which was then the capital called Lugdunum. At the time, Paris was rathe...
Paris used to be surrounded by city walls that gradually expanded (as per the map above). Today it is surrounded by one of the most disliked highways in France, the Boulevard Péripherique. This 6 lane highway completely surrounds the city, cutting it off from its suburbs.
Clovis, the first King of the Franks, makes Paris his capital in 508AD because of its strategic position on the River Seine. This was the center for the Frankish kings, eventually settling outwards in the Ile-de-France. However, under King Charlemagne, as the kingdom stretches eastto include the area that is now Germany, Paris loses its importance....
The oldest bridge in Paris is the Pont Neuf constructed in 1607, which as you would have it, translates as “New Bridge”. (It was built by the aforementioned King Henri IV. You can read more about him and other members of the French royal familyhere.)
Paris was meant to be razed to the ground upon the order of Hitler as German forces were retreating. However, the German commandant-in-charge seeing the writing on the wall, declined to follow the order. As such the majority of the city survived its 4-year occupation mostly intact. Rocked, but not defeated.
The Eiffel Towerwas supposed to be temporary. It was built for the 1889 World Fair and was supposed to be dismantled within 20 years. Parisians initially hated it, wondering what this weird metal structure was supposed to be. There are 1665 steps from bottom to top. In addition, there are 3 restaurants on the floors of the Eiffel Tower, and a small...
The Champs Elysées used to be rural countryside until the 17th century. And it was not until the late 18th century when Napoléon III and Baron Haussmann completely reconstructed Paris, that the broad tree-lined boulevard that we know today as the fashionable Champs Elysées came into being.
The Arc de Triomphe was commissioned by Napoleon Bonapartein 1806, but his defeat by the British meant that he never saw it finished. It was completed in 1836, and become a rallying point for both French and foreign armies. Along with festivities every 14 Juillet (Bastille Day), famous victory marches around or under the Arc de Triomphe include: 1....
The beauty of Paris certainly lies in its architecture, with its grand boulevards and elegant buildings. Much of it was designed by one architect, Baron Haussmann, under the reign of Napoleon III (nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte). This style of architecture is called Haussmannian, and there were several rules associated with it. From the height of the...
- Paris was originally a Roman city called Lutetia. The city was later conquered by the Franks, who renamed it Paris. Evidence of the Romans can be found in the Latin Quarter at Arènes de Lutèce, an ancient Roman amphitheater that dates back to the 1st century AD.
- Paris is known as the “City of Light”(not love!) – but you may not know the reason why
- Built for the 1889 World’s Fair, The Eiffel Tower was meant to be a temporary structure, however, its popularity has meant it was left standing and has become one of the most visited landmarks in the world, the tallest building in the city and an enduring symbol of Paris (and maybe even France!)
- The Louvre Museum, home to the famous Mona Lisa, Venus di Milo and countless other artistic treasures (including over 380,000 objects and 35,000 works of art spanning 9,000 years), was originally a medieval fortress and later a royal palace before becoming what it is now – the largest art museum in the world.
Nov 3, 2023 · 31 Fun Facts About Paris; 1. Paris is dubbed the “City of Light” (“La Ville Lumière”) for two reasons; 2. Paris is one of the most visited cities in the world; 3. Paris’ former name was “Lutèce” 4. There are around 130 museums within the city limits of Paris; 5. The world’s largest museum is in Paris; 6.
Dec 19, 2023 · 1. The Pont Neuf (which means ‘New Bridge’) is the oldest bridge in Paris. This fact is worth being pointed out because of the irony in it. Pont Neuf in french means New Bridge. In conclusion, the new bridge is actually the oldest in Paris! See? Quite a good fun fact about Paris right? It has been built in 1604. 2. There is a vineyard in Montmartre
