For the project of the Basilica there was a contest organized in which took par nearly 80 architects. The one who won the competition was Paul Abadie. For the location of the new church there was a law issued of public utility, according to which the land was seized for the construction. The laying of the first stone of the foundation was delayed due to property assembling issues until the 16^th of June 1875. Five years later the issue was still raising passionate debates in the Municipal Council over the law which granted property rights in 1873. The matter was considered a true threat of a civil war and in 1882 it was discussed in the Chamber of Deputies. The two important figures arguing for the construction of the Basilica war Archbishop Guibert and Georges Clemenceau. Although the law was annulled, due to a technical detail, the building of the Basilica remained valid. In 1897, by the time the Basilica had been already holding services for 6 years, there was another attempt of stopping the construction from going any further. Luckily, the attempt was defeated and the church was finished.

The architectural style was considered innovative at the time, as it interpreted freely the characteristics of the Romano – Byzantine style. It was considered rather unusual for the time, when the neo-Baroque style was preferred, as seen in the Opera Garnier. Nationalist themes are to be found in the decorations of the Basilica. Two national saints, Jean ‘Arc and Saint Louis IX, king of France, are represented in equestrian statues on the three arched portico. Both bronze statues were the work of Hippolyte Lefebvre. Executed in Annecy in 1895, the Savoyarde bell weighing nineteen tons was the heaviest in the world at that time and reminds of the 1860 annexation of Savoy.

Following the passing away of Paul Abadie in 1884, soon after the lay of the foundation, other five architects took over the project of the Basilica. The five names to continue Abadie’s work are Honore Daumet, Jean-Charles Laisne, Henri-Pierre Rauline, Lucien Magne and Jean-Louis Hulot. It was only in 1914 that the Basilica was finished, just when the World War I was starting.

In the middle of the square raises the Obelisk of Luxor, from the Ramses II ‘s reign. The Obelisk is beautifully decorated with Egyptian hieroglyphics depicting the pharaoh’s life and activity. It was a gift from the Egyptian Government to the French state in the 19^th century. Although the gift included a second Obelisk, the latter was two heavy to be carried to France, so was kept in Egypt. In the 1990s the French president Francois Mitterrand offered it back to Egypt.

In Place de la Concorde there are also two beautiful fountains, very famous during Louis-Philippe’s time and still considered a symbol of the Parisian fountains. Their designer was a student at the Beaux-Art School, named Jacques-Ignace Hittorff, who had as tutor Charles Percier, a Neoclassical designer.

In Place de la Bastille there are 3 Parisian arrondissements meeting: the 12^th, the 11^th and the 4^th. The surrounding area is also called Bastille.

In the center of the square rises a column called the July Column, to remind of the Revolution in July 1830. Some of the area’s marks are the Bastille Opera, a part of the Saint Martin Canal and the subway station also named Bastille. The opera house was built in 1984 on the former railway station with the name of Bastille.

There are a lot of cultural events taking place in this square. The area in the North-Eastern side of the square is packed with bars, cafes, concert halls and night clubs.

Due to the History of the place, many political demonstrations are organized here.

On the place where the fort used to be there is now the building of the Opera. The former ditch of the fort is now a marina where pleasure boats can tour the area, passing the Bassin de l’Arsenal and Canal Saint Martin.

Thursday and Saturday are the days when the park on the north part of the square hosts an open-air market. Here small producers sell fresh meat, fish, fruit and cheese.

The only remains of the fort are the ruins of a tower, uncovered during some excavations at the metro station in 1899 and which were moved to the Henri-Galli Square to be displayed for the public. The contour of Bastille was set with special paving stones on the sidewalks and on the streets passing over the former location.

On this famous street there are the exquisite boutiques of high fashion designers like Dior, Valentino, Chanel or Ralph Lauren. Shopping for expensive jewelry happens also here.

Avenue Montaigne gained important fame by the 1980s as the place for high fashion and in present is being paid more attention to than the Faubourg Saint Honore street.  The Moët Hennessey Louis Vuitton group has more establishments on this avenue.

At number 35 you will find the Canadian Embassy and at number 12 used to be the apartment of Marlene Dietrich, where she died in 1992.

Gustave Eiffel was the French engineer that designed The Eiffel Tower and it took just over two years to build. The construction started in 1887 and finished piece is 342 meters high, weights 7000 tons, has 2,5 millions rivets and it is made of iron. Till 1930, the French tower was the highest in the world. In 1930 the Empire State Building was constructed and it settled as the highest building in the world. At this moment, The Eiffel Tower is one of the most important and most popular attractions on the globe. Statistics say that since it was opened, approximately 210 million people have visited it.

In the beginning, the tower was meant to last only twenty years and then to be dismantled. But the success it had among the tourists and the fact that it was a perfect place for communication devices, were the two main reasons why The Eiffel Tower still stands in the heart of Paris.

The tower is built on three levels and has two restaurants. Although the prices at these restaurants are a bit high, treat yourself to eat in this unique spot and take a look at the whole city. One of the restaurants is called Altitude 95 and it is located at the first floor. In order to make a reservation, just call +33 (0) 145 55 20 04. On the second floor you will find the other restaurant, Le Jules Verne and you can book a table call + 33 (0) 145 55 61 44. On the ground level, the first floor and the second one you will find many souvenir shops where you can grab a beautiful reminder.

If you want to get there, the best way is to take the metro and stop at Trocadero Station. From there you only have a short walk till you see the tower. Also, don’t forget to visit the Eiffel Tower by night. The spectacular view and the illuminated tower will amaze you. Also, go there on sunset time and admire the city right from the last floor.

Many people are familiar with this museum if they have read The Da Vinci Code but few people know that this museum started as a 12th century fortress, guarding over Paris.

Since then, over hundreds of years, the gallery has been enlarged and has become what it is today. An interesting fact is that, for a short while, king Louis XIV lived in the Louvre. After his short stay there, in 1674, he moved to the sumptuous Palace of Versailles and left the Louvre to house the Royal Collection.

The museum was opened to the public in 1793 and it showed only 537 paintings on display. The public were allowed free entry and every body was pleased: "it is perceived as a major accomplishment and very well received". These days, the collections in the Louvre change constantly and also the amount of art works as exhibitions are frequently renewed. In this moment, The Louvre Museum gathers approximately 380.000 pieces. Among these pieces there are famous ones, like Mona Lisa, but also a lot of rare exhibits from all over the world, showing the history of mankind.

The Egyptians

Almost 50,000 pieces are gathered in the Egyptian exhibition in the museum. The Louvre collection is among the world’s largest. The exhibition is supervised by The Large Sphinx and is spreads in 22 rooms. A valuable piece on display is the Gebel-ei Arak knife from 3400 BC.

Greek and Roman

This collection reunites statues and artifact from the Neolithic to the 6th century BC, and many of them are the oldest in the world.

Islamic Art

An important collection belongs to the Islamic culture and sums up over 10,000 exhibits. Among these pieces are ceramics, glassware, wood and ivory. In the museum you will be able to see 3 pages of the Shahnameh, an epic poem written by Ferdowsi in Persian.

Paintings

The painting collections are mostly formed by French paintings of French artists (almost two-thirds of the museums 6.000 paintings) and close to 1,200 pieces are European. It is a fact that Mona Lisa is one of the most important paintings of humankind but the tourists should not hurry and rush through the collections and neglect the other paintings. They should get a real feel of the enormous work on display.

The time you will need to explore the halls of the Louvre is a full day but you will feel rewarded in the end. Many people and specialists like to devote whole days to specific areas of the museum. Once, Alberto Giacometti said, "I’ve been fifty thousand times to the Louvre. I have copies everything in drawing, trying to understand".

Its architecture is one of a kind and it is the oldest and most beautiful cathedral ever built in the City of Light.

The father of the cathedral is Bishop Maurice de Sully. In the late 10^th century he took it upon himself to remove the old cathedral and replace it with a new one, more beautiful. He demolishes everything in the surrounding areas and decided to build his masterpieces there.

A few years later, the Bishop died. But even after his death, the construction continued and in almost 200 years, in between 1163 and 1345, the bishop’s beautiful dream came true. Many people consider that 200 years was a very short period for building such a masterpiece. The cathedral is located in the center of Paris, at Point Zero. It is said that a person who steps on its stones will for sure, one day, return.

The architectural style is Gothic. The facade is mostly made of marble and raises majestically, with two main towers, an impressive rose window. The church is beautifully decorated with statues and gargoyles and on the outside it is surrounded by marvelous flying buttresses, a distinctive mark.

Just a mere attempt at reinforcing the walls, the buttresses are reviled for the elaborate contrast to the clean face of the facade. Many people claimed that they looked like forgotten scaffolding and because of that the building had an air of unfinished work. Besides that, the buttresses passed into public favor and now are recognized for their beauty.

But The Notre Dame Cathedral is not only recognized for its amazing facade but also for the masterpieces on the inside. The soaring arched ceilings and the walls on the inside melt with the elaborate windows in the same gothic architectural style. On the northern and southern walls, two large rose windows stand. The painted panels show different biblical scenes and characters. Because of the high level of analphabetism, painting the panels with biblical scenes was a fast and clear way of reaching the public and telling them stories from the Holy Bible.

Besides these attractions, The Treasury of Notre Dame is another thing to be seen. This treasury holds sparkling chalices, plates and robes made of gold, silver, and jewels. Their design is often elaborate and extremely beautiful. Many people say that these valuable pieces were used to hide the greed for wealth and power and mix it with religious terminology. And, as history says, this was the reason that fueled the reformation: the contrast between a the life of luxury of the politicians and church people and the rest of the people.

It is hard to describe the feeling one has while visiting this amazing cathedral. Words like: admiration, beauty, glory are some that can be used to describe it. The towering, ceilings make you feel small and insignificant while admiring this beautiful piece. Only you can decide, if you go there.