Places, museums, monuments : 61
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Place, museum or monumentChâtelet Fountain
In 1808, Napoleon had the head office of the military police of Paris demolished thus opening up the required space for Place Châtelet in the middle of which a fountain designed by Bralle was erected. Also called the “Palm-tree fountain”, it comprises a 70-feet high column topped by a statue representing Victory and the allegories […]
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Place, museum or monumentArc de Triomphe du Carrousel – Paris
The Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel (firmly anchored to the tradition of the ancient triumphal arches) was built by Percier and Fontaine in circa 1806 to 1808 to celebrate the Napoleonic victories of 1805, and it was originally intended as a monumental entrance to the Tuileries palace. When that palace was destroyed by fire in […]
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Place, museum or monumentGare du Nord Station
Under the Second Empire, the railways in France developed to such an extent that historians have described the period as the “Railway revolution”. From 3 248 km of track in 1851 the network leapt to 16 465 km of track in 1869. France entered the “age of the train”. And this extraordinary rise brought with […]
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Place, museum or monumentPalais Brongniart – Paris Stock Exchange
In 1808, Napoleon Ist decided to build a definitive home for theParis stock exchange. In fact, since its formation in 1724 the stock exchange had been 'of no fixed abode', meeting in the Galerie Vivienne in the Palais de Mazarin until 1793, then moving to the Louvre in the Palais Royale before ending up in […]
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Place, museum or monumentChurch of the Madeleine
There has been a church in this area since the 13th century when the neighbourhood was known as Ville l'Evêque and its church was Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, situated at the end of the present-day boulevard Malesherbes. In the 18th century a new building was deemed necessary in view of the recent growth in the population of the […]
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Place, museum or monumentChurch of St-Leu and St-Gilles
Louis Bonaparte, future king of Holland, selected the small village of St-Leu in the Oise valley as the place to live with his young bride, Hortense de Beauharnais. With the generous gift of 600 000 francs from his famous brother, Napoleon, Louis bought the two chateaux of St-Leu. Louis then proceeded to demolish the old […]
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Place, museum or monumentPère Lachaise Cemetery
As a result of the law of 23rd Prairial (21st June) year XII (1804)prohibiting burial in churches, convents and cemeteries within thecity walls, Nicolas Frochot, who had been prefect of the Seine since 1800, decided to create four Parisian necropolises situatedoutside the walls and at the four points of the compass. Onlythree of the necropolises […]
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Place, museum or monumentMarmottan Library
Paul Marmottan (1856-1932) could have had a brilliant career in industry, administration or politics, but on the death of his father he chose otherwise. He became an historian, collector and patron of the arts and devoted himself and his entire fortune to one end, his passion for the first Empire.He travelled frequently to Belgium, the […]
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Place, museum or monumentMarmottan Museum
Situated in the La Muette neighbourhood between the Parc du Ranelagh gardens and the Bois de Boulogne, the Marmottan Museum has its home in alarge town house built in the Empire style. Once a hunting lodgebuilt for the maréchal Kellermann, the house was purchased in 1882by Jules Marmottan who saw it as the ideal place […]
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Place, museum or monumentBois de Vincennes
Work on the construction of the Bois de Vincennes (the forest of Vincennes) from the last remains of the forest to the East of Paris known as the Silva Lanchonia began in 1860. It was Napoleon III's desire to offer a place of recreation to the working class inhabitants of the XIIth and XIIIth arrondissements […]