History of Paris

Paris abounds in the history of more than 2,000 years old legacy of wars, enriched culture and high-class literature with poetry, prose, drama and world-class architectural designs to amaze the world. The Gauls of the Parisii tribe settled here in Paris around 250 and 200 B. C. They went on to find a fishing village on an island situated in the river which is the “Ile de la Cite” of the present day. This was the main center around which the entire city of Paris was built and structured.

Paris was known as “Lutetia” (Lutece) in the medieval times and was occupied by Julius Caesar in 52 B. C. Paris continued to subsist as a regional center under the influence of the Romans during the early Middle Ages. In 987, the Count of Paris named as Hugh Capet became the King of France. Under his successors and clan which came to be known as the Capetians, Paris continued to flourish as the national capital city of France. The people of Paris were considered to be rebellious and high-spirited as they went on to declare themselves as an independent commune in 1355-58 under the leadership of Etienne Marcel. In 1789, the storming of the Bastille was the first in the series of actions which was accelerated by the people of Paris and this came to be known as the French Revolution. During the years 1830 and 1848, Paris played a major role in the French Revolution as it became the center of all prime activities which took place on the social, economic, political domains of the revolutionary period.

In 1871, the capital city of France witnessed an oncoming war known as the Franco-Prussian War under the influence of which the city was encircled and besieged unless France surrendered after four months. It was only after the withdrawal of the German troops that the French radicals began to establish the Commune of Paris. The Germans were prevented from entering Paris during the World War I. However, they did manage to occupy the city during the World War II during the period of 1940 to 1944. Paris again became the center spot for violence as it also witnessed the student’s riots of 1968.

The Paris we see today is the fashion hub of the world and the most romantic city in the world. Paris today maintains its charm, character, and importance in the real world. Its physical appearance has been transformed by mega-structures like Beaubourg and several other grand projects including reforming the city into architectural perfection under the presidency of Mitterrand. In addition to the Bastille Opera and the La Defense arch, the projects of Mitterrand included te renovations of the Louvre by the architect named I. M Pei. Many more projects undertaken by him to renovate the entire capital city were in the southeast region, the La Villette complex which was located in the northeastern province of the city, a great computer-era library, the Bibliotheque de France and much more.

The history of Paris also abounds in the excellent town planning of which it boasts in the world even today. Planning of the city of Paris and the Paris Basin region included the consideration of large areas of land around the Seine River valley all the way to the mouth of the River. As the history of Paris made its way into modernization, Paris witnessed building up of new parks, lanes, towns, industrial locations and many more displays of architectural excellence on both sides of the River Seine. By reading the journal, you can be enlightened into the glorious history of Paris accompanied with mixtures of bitter and sweet royal blend of the Monarchy as well as the Republic and the socio-economic state of the city along with political upheavals with the two world wars and much more.

© 2020 IntroBooks (Lydbog): 9781987126594

Release date

Lydbog: 16. april 2020