Paris History - Day 01

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1 Paris History - Day 01 Name: Pere Lachaise Cemetery Address: 16 rue du Repos, Paris 75020, France Alternative Name: Cimetière du Père-Lachaise Contact Details: Entry Information: Pere Lachaise Cemetery is open daily all year round and entry is free. Site Direction: Pere Lachaise Cemetery is located on Boulevard de Ménilmontant. Accessible via Metro lines 2 and 3 (alighting at Gambetta station on line 3 offers a downhill tour of the cemetery or Philippe Auguste as this is closest to the main entrance). The Père Lachaise Station on line 3 is another option - this is near a side entrance. Description Pere Lachaise Cemetery (Cimetière du Père-Lachaise) was established by Napoleon I in Originally considered to be too far from the main city, Pere Lachaise Cemetery initially attracted few funerals, but following a marketing campaign and the transfer of the remains of French philosopher Pierre Abélard in 1817, its popularity grew and it soon gained over 33,000 residents. From singer Edith Piaf, novelist Marcel Proust and impressionist painter Camille Pissarro to playwright Oscar Wilde, an array of famous figures are buried there today. One of the most popular graves at Pere Lachaise Cemetery is that of The Doors front man Jim Morrison, probably attracting the largest number of visitors, but all of the graves are fascinating, including those of the regular citizens. Pere Lachaise Cemetery is also the home of the Mur des Fédérés or Communards Wall where 147 of the working class defenders of Belleville or Communards were shot on 28 May 1871 as part of the Bloody Week. This is also surrounded by monuments to concentration camp victims from the Holocaust.

2 Maps are available to buy at the entrance, but you can also use the directories on the grounds. Overall, Pere Lachaise Cemetery is a peaceful and interesting way to spend an afternoon. Notes

3 Paris History - Day 01 Name: Chateau de Malmaison Address: Château de Malmaison, Avenue du château, Rueil- Malmaison Alternative Name: - Contact Details: Entry Information: Site Direction: Chateau de Malmaison is open daily except Tuesdays, 10am-5:15 pm (closed from 12:30pm to 1:30pm). Opening times extended to 5:45pm on weekends and from April to September. Admission costs 6, free for under 26s and concessions are available. Entry is free on the first Sunday of each month. Château de Malmaison is located in Rueil-Malmaison, 12 km northwest of Paris along RN13. By train: RER line A from Grande Arche de la Défense and then bus route 258, alighting at Le Château. There is also a Rueil tourist train (free) available daily except Tuesdays, April-October, which travels from Place de l Europe near Rueil RER station and to the main tourist sites, including Château de Malmaison. Description Chateau de Malmaison was the home of Napoleon Bonaparte and his first wife, Joséphine de Beauharnais, who bought it in Since then, Chateau de Malmaison served as the seat of government from 1800 to 1802 and then became Joséphine s property in 1809 after the couple divorced. After serving as her home and then, amongst other things, as a military barracks, Chateau de Malmaison became the property of the state. Today, Chateau de Malmaison is open to the public, allowing visitors to view Napoleon's former bedroom and that where his first wife died. Frescos and paintings are found throughout and there is a museum dedicated to Napoleon in the grounds. Notes

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5 Paris History - Day 01 Name: Palace of Versailles Address: Palace of Versailles, pl d'armes, Versaille,France Alternative Name: Chateau Versailles Contact Details: Entry Information: The Palace of Versailles is open daily except Mondays, 9am-6.30pm (to 5:30 Nov-March). Last entry half hour before closing. Closed on 25 December, 1 January and 1 May. Entry to all sites costs 20 (Apr-Oct) or 16 (Nov-Mar). Other ticket types available. Site Direction: Palace of Versailles from Paris: RER Line C (yellow line) westbound to Versailles (Rive Gauche). Not all westbound trains run to Versailles so ensure you get the correct train/change where necessary. Or by SNCF from Paris Montparnasse station to Versailles Chantiers or from Paris Saint Lazare to Versailles Rive Droite station (0.5hrs). There are car parks at Place d Armes, Allée de Bailly, Grand Trianon and Petit Trianon. Description The Palace of Versailles was originally the hunting lodge of France s King Louis XIII, but was transformed into a magnificent residence by his son and successor, Louis XIV. The ostentatious monarch built the Grand Apartment of the King and Queen which included the magnificent Hall of Mirrors before moving both his court and the government of France to Versailles in And so it remained until the French Revolution in In the 19th Century King Louis-Philippe turned it into the Museum of the History of France. The gardens of the Palace of Versailles, designed by André Le Nôtre at the instruction of Louis XIV, are equally spectacular and took forty years to complete. There are numerous places to visit at the Palace of Versailles and a range of tour options. Audio headsets are available as are guided tours. When visiting the Palace of Versailles, you can also see Marie Antoinette s estate and The Grande Trianon.

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7 Paris History - Day 01 Name: Musee du Louvre Address: The Louvre, Place du Carrousel, Paris, France Alternative Name: The Louvre Contact Details: +33 (0) Entry Information: Open daily except Tuesdays, 9am-6pm (rooms begin closing at 5:30pm). Open to 10pm Wednesdays and Fridays (rooms begin closing at 9:30pm). Closed 1 January, 1 May and 25 December. Entry costs 10 (inc Musée Eugène Delacroix). From 6pm to 9:45pm, entry costs 6. Entry is free on the 1st Sunday of every month. To avoid queues, you can buy advance tickets online. Site Direction: Located in the First Arrondissement on the Right Bank of the River Seine. The main entrance is by the Pyramid. If you have bought tickets in advance, you can enter at the Passage Richelieu entrance (next to Palais-Royal Musée du Louvre station, lines M1, M7). Buses 21, 24, 27, 39, 48, 68, 69, 72, 81, 95, and the Paris Open Tour bus stop at the Pyramid bus stop. Description Musee du Louvre, also known as, the Grand Louvre or just The Louvre, is one of the world s foremost art museums, exhibiting over 35,000 works from around the globe and throughout history. The Louvre s eight departments cover an extensive array of historical periods and artistic genres, each represented through the museum s permanent and temporary exhibits. Amongst these exhibits, The Louvre holds Near Eastern and Egyptian antiquities, Greek, Etruscan, and Roman antiquities, Islamic art, sculptures and paintings as well as decorative arts, prints and drawings. Some of the most famous pieces held by The Louvre include the Jewels of Rameses II and Leonardo da Vinci s Mona Lisa. Set over 60,000 square meters, Musee du Louvre can be fairly daunting, but guided tours and audio tours are available in English and French lasting ninety minutes. Tours can be historically themed.

8 The building in which Musee du Louvre is housed has a fascinating history of its own, having started life as a fortress built by Philippe Auguste to protect Paris from the Anglo-Normans. It later became a royal palace of Louis XIV. The Louvre opened as a museum in The history and archaeology of The Louvre is explored on the lower ground floor of the museum in room 3. Notes

9 Paris History - Day 01 Name: The Catacombs of Paris Address: Les Catacombes de Paris, 1, Place Denfert-Rochereau, Paris, Fran Alternative Name: Les Catacombes de Paris Contact Details: +33 (0) Entry Information: The Catacombs of Paris are open 10am-5pm daily. Last entry at 4pm. Closed Mondays and public holidays. Entry costs 8 full, 6 reduced, 4 for youth ticket, free for 13 years and under. Guided tours cost 4.50 full, 3.80 reduced for individuals on top of entry fee. Group/school discounts available. Long queues make arriving well before the closing time advisable. Site Direction: To get to the Catacombs of Paris you can take both the Metro and the RER B to Denfert-Rochereau station. Buses 38 and 68. Description The Catacombs of Paris (Les Catacombes de Paris) came into use as a burial place for Parisian bones in the eighteenth century following the overpopulation of Parisian cemeteries and the closure of the Cemetery of Innocents (Les Innocents). The Catacombs are underground quarries encompassing a portion of Paris old mines near Place Denfert-Rochereau and, at the time, were outside the city gates. The official decision to use the quarries was made on 9 November 1785 and they were blessed on 7 April 1786, following which bones from the Saint-Nicolas-des- Champs cemetery were moved there. Further remains were amassed at the Catacombs of Paris over the years, including those who died in several riots during the French Revolution. Overall, approximately six million human skeletons lie within the Catacombs of Paris. A fascinating, unusual and somewhat haunting tourist attraction, The Catacombs of Paris are well worth a visit for those who are not claustrophobic or easily spooked. A tour of the Catacombs takes approximately an hour and involves climbing 83 steps.

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11 Paris History - Day 01 Name: The Pantheon - Paris Address: Place du Panthéon, Paris, France Alternative Name: Le Pantheon Contact Details: Entry Information: The Pantheon is open at the following times. April-Sept: 10am-6:30pm ; Oct- March: 10am-6pm. Last entry 45 min before closing. Closed 1 January, 1 May and 25 December. Adults 8, reduced rate 5, adult group rate (min. 20 people) 6, Free for under 18s, EU residents under 26, disabled visitors and their escorts and for unemployed persons. Site Direction: The Pantheon is located in the centre of Paris, near the boulevard Saint- Michel. It can be reached by Metro line 10 at the Cardinal Lemoine stop, by RER line B at the Luxembourg stop and via bus routes 21, 27, 38, 82, 84 and 89. Description The Pantheon in Paris (Le Pantheon), was built as a result of King Louis XV s determination to create an edifice to the glory of St-Genèvieve, the patron saint of Paris. The Pantheon means Every God and construction began in 1758 with the intention that the building be a church. However, it was completed just before the French Revolution in 1789 and the revolutionary government converted The Pantheon into a mausoleum for the interment of great Frenchmen. The Pantheon s crypt is now the burial place of many French icons and bears the inscription Aux Grands Hommes La Patrie Reconnaissante, meaning "To the great men, the grateful homeland". Those buried there include Rousseau, Émile Zola, Victor Hugo, Voltaire, Jean Moulin, Marie Skłodowska-Curie, and the architect of the Pantheon Jacques-Germain Soufflot. In fact, Soufflot died before the Pantheon was completed, meaning that his vision of a semi-gothic building with elements of basic principals was somewhat compromised.

12 Guided tours of the Pantheon are available and last approximately 45 minutes. Notes

13 Paris History - Day 02 Name: The Eiffel Tower Address: Tour Eiffel, 5 avenue Anatole France, Champ de Mars, Paris Alternative Name: Tour Eiffel Contact Details: +33 (0) Entry Information: The Eiffel Tower is open daily, 9:30am-11pm (to midnight from 1 Jan to 12 June and 1 Sept to 31 Dec). Adults pay 8.10 for entry to the second floor via lift ( 6.40 for ages 12-24, 4 for ages 4-11), for top floor entry ( for ages 12-24, 9 for ages 4-11) and 4.50 for stairs entrance to the second floor ( 3.50 for ages 12-24, 3 for ages 4-11). Further discounts available for disabled individuals. Site Direction: To reach the Eiffel Tower via Metro, use line 6 to Beir Hakeim or Dupleix, lines 6 and 9 to Trocadero or line 8 to Ecole Militaire. Via RER take line C to Champ de Mars-Tour Eiffel. Buses 42, 69, 72, 82 and 87. Description The Eiffel Tower (Tour Eiffel) is an imposing iron monument on Paris Champ de Mars by the river Seine. The Eiffel Tower was built between 1887 and 1889 based on the design of engineer Gustave Eiffel, after whom the tower was named. In fact Eiffel s design was chosen out of 107 other proposals as part of a competition to create an iron structure as the entrance way to Paris Universal Exhibition World Fair or Exposition Universelle. The intention was to mark the centennial of the French Revolution. Work on the 15 metre foundations began on 26 January 1887 and the Eiffel Tower was inaugurated on 31 March 1889 when Eiffel himself climbed the Tower s 1,710 steps and planted the French flag at its peak. At that time, the Eiffel Tower s 312 metres in height made it the tallest building in the world, only eclipsed in 1929 with the construction of New York s Chrysler

14 Building. Today the Eiffel Tower is 324 metres tall due to the later addition of antennas, making it the tallest building in Paris and the fifth tallest in the world. The Eiffel Tower is a tourist hotspot and visitors can climb or use the lifts to reach the first or second floors, the latter of which is 115 metres high. The most expansive views can be found on the Eiffel Tower s third level at 276 metres, which has its own separate lift from the second floor. A backstage tour is available, which details the workings of the Eiffel Tower and its history. Notes

15 Paris History - Day 02 Name: Pont Neuf Address: Pont Neuf, Paris Alternative Name: - Contact Details: Contact local tourist office Entry Information: There is a pedestrian route along Pont Neuf as well as a road, accessible at all times. Site Direction: Pont Neuf is located in Paris s First Arrondisement and has its own metro station, Pont Neuf on line M7. Description Pont Neuf in Paris dates back to the sixteenth century, making it the oldest bridge in the city. Work on Pont Neuf was started in 1578 by King Henry III and completed in 1607 by Henry IV. Notes

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17 Paris History - Day 02 Name: Arc de Triomphe Address: Place Charles de Gaulle Paris France Alternative Name: - Contact Details: +33 (0) Entry Information: Opening hours: April to September 10am-11pm; October to March 10am pm. Closed: 1st January, 1st May, 8th May (morning), 14th July (morning), 11th November (morning), 25th December. Admission fees: Adults 9; concessions (18 to 25) 5,50; free admission for children under 18. Site Direction: You can reach the Arc de Triomphe by both Metro (lines 1, 2) and RER (line A) to Charles de Gaulle-Etoile station - and by bus 73. Description The Arc de Triomphe in Paris is a 162 foot monumental arch in the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle. It was commissioned by Napoleon in 1806, shortly following his victory at Austerlitz, with the aim of commemorating French soldiers, particularly those who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. The Arc de Triomphe was completed in 1836 and is an imposing and ornate structure. Its many engravings include the dates of military victories, the names of important soldiers and depictions of war. Visitors can climb to its peak for magnificent views or enter the small museum inside it, both of which are included in the entrance fee. A further attraction at the Arc de Triomphe is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which commemorates those who fought in the two World Wars with an eternal flame. Notes

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19 Paris History - Day 02 Name: La Conciergerie Address: La Conciergerie, 2 boulevard du Palais, Paris Alternative Name: - Contact Details: Entry Information: La Conciergerie is open daily, 9:30am-5pm (to 6pm March-Oct). Closed 1 January, 1 May and 25 December. Last entry half an hour before closing. Entry costs 7 for adults, 4.50 for non-eu students aged and free for under 18s and for EU students under 26. Further concessions available. Combined tickets available with Sainte Chapelle. Site Direction: La Conciergerie is located along the banks of the River Seine on Paris s Ile de la Cité. The nearest metro station is Cité (line 4). Other nearby stations include Châtelet (lines 1, 7, 11, 14) and Saint-Michel (line 4). Buses 21, 24, 27, 38, 58, 81 and 85 stop nearby as does Balabus. By RER line B to St Michel or Châtelet or via line C to Saint-Michel. Description La Conciergerie in Paris, France is located on an important site which once formed the seat of the city s Roman leaders during their occupation of Gaul. La Conciergerie itself originally formed part of thirteenth century Palais de Justice, the royal palace built by King Philip IV. It served this role until the 1350 s, when the French royals moved to the Louvre. As it ceased being used as a royal residence, La Conciergerie became the site where judicial functions were carried out, a purpose which parts of the palace still fulfil today. From 1391, La Conciergerie s judicial function took on a different character as it was transformed into a prison. Thus it remained for centuries, playing its sinister role during the French Revolution as the home of the ominous Revolutionary Tribunal which sent thousands of prisoners to the guillotine. In the course of the Revolution, La Conciergerie held over a thousand prisoners at any given time. Some of the most famous inmates at La Conciergerie included Francois Ravaillac, the assassin of King Henri IV, imprisoned there in 1610, revolutionaries Georges Danton and Maximilien Robespierre, and, most prominently,

20 Queen Marie Antoinette. Each was then executed. Visitors to La Conciergerie can enjoy both its impressive medieval architecture, such as its large Hall of the Men at Arms and its history, both royal and as an instrument of punishment. Its original torture chambers can still be viewed. Notes

21 Paris History - Day 02 Name: Palais de Justice Address: Palais de Justice, 4 Boulevard de Palais, Paris, France Alternative Name: - Contact Details: Entry Information: Palais de Justice is a working courthouse. It is open to the public weekdays 9am-6:30pm. Closed public holidays and August. Site Direction: Palais de Justice is located in Île de la Cité in Paris and is accessed via the Cour de Mai. The nearest metro station is Cite on line M4. Description The Palais de Justice in Île de la Cité in Paris is a vast and majestic gothic structure, the site of which was originally the home of governors of Ancient Rome. Palais de Justice then became the royal residence of the French monarchy such as Louis IX and remained as such until Charles V moved the royal palaces to Marais in 1358 following the Jacquerie revolt. As the current seat of the French judicial system, the Palais de Justice serves a function which it has fulfilled in various guises since medieval times. This began in earnest in April 1793, when the civil chamber or Premier Chambre Civile of the Palais de Justice became the home of the Revolutionary Tribunal. This was the fearsome court of the French Revolution from which the Reign of Terror was systematically carried out. Also part of the Palais de Justice is the famous prison known as La Conciergerie and it is next to Sainte Chapelle, which was built by Louis IX. Notes

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23 Paris History - Day 02 Name: The Bastille Address: Place de la Bastille, Paris, France Alternative Name: Place de la Bastille Contact Details: Contact local tourist office Entry Information: This is a public square. Site Direction: To reach Place de la Bastille, travel to metro station Bastille on lines 1, 5 or 8. Description The Bastille was a fourteenth century fortress turned prison in Paris which would become central in igniting the French Revolution. On 14 July 1789, a large group descended on the Bastille demanding that its prisoners by now only seven were held there be released. Their main aim was to have access to weapons and gunpowder that were held in the Bastille. After some negotiations, the crowd became restless and stormed the prison, an incident known as the storming of the Bastille. Whilst the storming of the Bastille had been preceded by general turmoil in Paris, this chaotic event is widely considered to have been the catalyst of the French Revolution. It was followed by the abolition of feudalism and the signing of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, a central document of the revolution. The Bastille was later torn down by the revolutionary government. It was located in what is now known as Place de la Bastille, as shown on the map. Place de la Bastille is now a busy junction with a plaque about the prison. It is centred on a tall statue called Colonne de Juillet the July Column which commemorates the events leading up to the revolution. Some remains of the Bastille building can now be seen at Square Henri Galli, a small park nearby. Notes

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25 Paris History - Day 02 Name: Crypte Archeologique - Paris Address: Crypte Archeologique (Paris Archaeological Crypt), Parvis Notre Dame, Alternative Name: Paris Archaeological Crypt Contact Details: Contact local tourist office Entry Information: Site Direction: The Crypte Archeologique is open daily, 10am-6pm (last admission 5:30pm). Closed 1 Jan, 1 and 8 May, 1 and 11 Nov and 25 Dec. Entry costs 4 (free for under 14s), reduced price 3. The Crypte Archeologique is located under the main square of Notre Dame on Ile de la Cite and is accessed down an innocuous set of stairs in front of the cathedral. The nearest metro station is Cite on line M4 and RER station Saint-Michel - Notre-Dame on lines RER B and C. Description The Crypte Archeologique (Archaeological Crypt) in Notre Dame Square (Parvis) in Paris is an incredible site for those interested in the history of Paris. During the Gallo-Roman Period, Paris was known as Lutetia, which developed from the first and second centuries BC. The Crypte Archeologique contains the remains of Gallo-Roman Lutetia, including its third century BC walls, its streets and heating systems and even the ruins of a cathedral. Some of the remains are medieval, dating to the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries and including a hospital. A little known site, the Crypte Archeologique is often not as crowded as the streets above it. Notes

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