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.

The area is famous for its sex oriented activity. There are many sex shops and prostitutes on the side streets. Allied soldiers of the World War II even called the area the “Pig Alley”. Besides the famous Moulin Rouge, here you can find the Divan du Monde.

Not far from Place Pigalle, to the south, there are many retailers of popular musical instruments.

The area is also famous for once hosting great names of Art, such as Toulouse Lautrec, whose studio used to be there, Pablo Picasso, Maurice Neumont or Vincent van Gogh. There is also Espace Dali where you can admire some of Dali’s works.

The building of Grand Guignol Theater is still there, although the theater itself was closed in 1962.

If you want to live the experience of the night time Paris, Pigalle is the place to go. You can spend the time in one of the cabarets, of which the most famous is Moulin Rouge or attend a nude show.

To get to Pigalle you can take the Montmartrobus to its end or just take the metro until Pigalle station and you’ll get to Place Pigalle.

The Paris basin was conquered by Romans in 52 BC. They settled there permanently by the end of the first century BC on the Sainte Geneviève Hill, situated on the left Bank of Seine on in the area presently known as Ilde de la Cite.

The town founded by Gallo-Romans was called Lutetia and later Lutèce, in Gallic. It turned into a prosperous settlement over the years, expanding in the region. It had a forum, baths, temples, palaces, theaters and even an amphitheatre. The city fell into decline after the Roman Empire collapsed, followed by Germanic invasions in the 5^th century. At that time all that remained of the mighty Roman city was no more than a small garrison town on the central island, with almost no defense. In 508 Paris became capital of Clovis I’s kingdom.

The best known thing related to Moulin Rouge is the an-can dance, whose modern form was born there. Although at first the can-can was just a form of seducing practiced by courtesans, it turned into an entertainment dance and it was introduced in cabarets all over Europe. Moulin Rouge of today is mostly visited by tourists who come to enjoy musical shows in a romantic décor reminding of the 19^th century atmosphere.

Current Show

The show that can be seen in present is called “Feerie” and it has 4 scenes totalizing 69 songs. 100 artists are performing for this show, among who dancers, magicians, acrobats, Doriss girls and clowns.

New Revue

Every revue reaches a cost of almost 9 million Euros and is run for 10, even 12 years. In December 1999 “Feerie” was launched and a new show is almost ready to follow. The music is already recorded in studio; the costumes are prepared along with the songs and scripts. In order to prepare the new setting for the new show, Moulin Rouge will be closed to the public starting with the 15^th of November 2012 for a period of 5 weeks. It is programmed to reopen just before the 2012 Christmas. Accoring to tradition, the show’s name begins wit h the letter F, so it will be called Flash.

Because the area was officially designated as historic district, there are laws to protect it from developments which may threat the historic character.

To go on top of the hill you can either climb the stairs or take the Funiculaire de Montmartre.

At the base of the hill spreads Pigalle, Paris’ red-light district. Besides the sex oriented character of the district, it is also the place for music instruments shops, many specialized in rock music. Rock concerts take place in several concert halls in the area.

In ÃŽle de France there is a tradition of producing wine, which is continued even today. This is why you will see in Rue saint Vincent a small vineyard which gives a yearly amount of 500 liters of wine.

French proudly say about their Champs- Élysées that is the most beautiful in the world. Still, the recent globalization and the international chain brands that invaded the boulevard somehow took away of its uniqueness. As an effort to keep the spirit of the boulevard, the City of Paris banned in 2007 the H&M retailer to open a store here. It was called the movement against “banalisation”. Still, one year later another clothing chain, American this time, the Abercrombie & Fitch, opened their new store.

Champs- Élysées passes through the 8^th arrondissement of Paris and is 2 kilometers long. It extends from Place de la Concorde with the Luxor Obelisk to the Charles de Gaulle Square, with the Arc de Triomphe, from East to West. The boulevard is part of the historic Axe.

At the lower end of the boulevard are the Marigny Theater and the Grand Palais, bordered by Carre Marigny, a splendid greenery. This part is the most attractive for tourists coming to Paris. Aside the avenue is the Élysée Palace. Going ahead on the avenue, there are cafes, cinemas and the famous Fouquet restaurant among other noticeable restaurants. At he other end of Champs- Élysées is the no less famous Arc de Triomphe from Napoleon Bonaparte’s rule to remind of his victories.

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.

Though very few buildings actually date from the Middle Ages, this warren of narrow streets and picturesque squares is layered with a rich history, which is apparent in the pleasing hodgepodge of architectural styles. The neighborhood’s glory days date from the 16th and 17th centuries when anyone  who was anyone simply had to build a mansion or a palace here. Though the area fell from grace in the 18th and 19th, many of the grand hôtels particuliers (private mansions) survived the slings and arrows of time and were reborn as museums and public archives when the neighborhood was restored in the later half of the 20th century.

Today, the Marais is a fascinating mix of hip gentrification and the remnants of a working class neighborhood. It is at once the center of the city’s gay life, as well as the oldest Jewish quarter, with a heavily traditionalist bent. Some of the city’s best museums are here, and the best boutiques for browsing, so depending on your interests, you could spend a few hours or an entire day here.