History of Paris - E-book - ePub

Paris abounds in the history of more than 2, 000 years oldlegacy of wars, enriched culture and high-class literature withpoetry, prose, drama and world-class architectural designs toamaze the world. The Gauls of the Parisii tribe settled here inParis around 250 and 200 B. C. They went on to find a fishingvillage on an island situated in the river which is the "Ile de laCite" of the present day. This was the main center aroundwhich the entire city of Paris was built and structured.
Paris was known as "Lutetia" (Lutece) in the medieval timesand was occupied by Julius Caesar in 52 B. C. Paris continuedto subsist as a regional center under the influence of theRomans during the early Middle Ages. In 987, the Count ofParis named as Hugh Capet became the King of France. Under his successors and clan which came to be known asthe Capetians, Paris continued to flourish as the national capitalcity of France.
The people of Paris were considered to berebellious and high-spirited as they went on to declarethemselves as an independent commune in 1355-58 under theleadership of Etienne Marcel. In 1789, the storming of theBastille was the first in the series of actions which wasaccelerated by the people of Paris and this came to be knownas the French Revolution. During the years 1830 and 1848, Paris played a major role in the French Revolution as itbecame the center of all prime activities which took place onthe social, economic, political domains of the revolutionaryperiod.
In 1871, the capital city of France witnessed an oncoming warknown as the Franco-Prussian War under the influence ofwhich the city was encircled and besieged unless Francesurrendered after four months. It was only after the withdrawalof the German troops that the French radicals began toestablish the Commune of Paris. The Germans were preventedfrom entering Paris during the World War I. However, they didmanage to occupy the city during the World War II during theperiod of 1940 to 1944.
Paris again became the center spot forviolence as it also witnessed the student's riots of 1968. The Paris we see today is the fashion hub of the world andthe most romantic city in the world. Paris today maintains itscharm, character, and importance in the real world. Its physicalappearance has been transformed by mega-structures likeBeaubourg and several other grand projects including reformingthe city into architectural perfection under the presidency ofMitterrand.
In addition to the Bastille Opera and the LaDefense arch, the projects of Mitterrand included te renovationsof the Louvre by the architect named I. M Pei. Many moreprojects undertaken by him to renovate the entire capital citywere in the southeast region, the La Villette complex which waslocated in the northeastern province of the city, a greatcomputer-era library, the Bibliotheque de France and muchmore.
The history of Paris also abounds in the excellent townplanning of which it boasts in the world even today. Planningof the city of Paris and the Paris Basin region included theconsideration of large areas of land around the Seine Rivervalley all the way to the mouth of the River. As the history ofParis made its way into modernization, Paris witnessed buildingup of new parks, lanes, towns, industrial locations and manymore displays of architectural excellence on both sides of theRiver Seine.