City of Paris in the Middle Ages. Medieval Paris. Gothic architecture of Paris

Medieval Paris left magnificent examples of Romanesque architecture (X-XII centuries), in which the foundations borrowed by the Franks in Roman architecture were revived, albeit in a somewhat revised form. The Romanesque style was characterized by heavy proportions, powerful walls, bearing semi-circular vaults and arched ceilings. openings.

One of the most notable Parisian architectural monuments of this period is the church Saint Germain des Pres , founded in the middle of the 6th century by King Childebert I to store the tunic of St. Vincent of Saragossa and now located in a busy part of the Latin Quarter (since in the old days it was surrounded by meadows, this was also reflected in the name: French pré - meadow).

This first Christian abode soon became an abbey in the fields outside the city. It was managed by a certain father Germain,

This is how the name Saint-Germain des Pres appeared.

In this temple, a Christian preacher, the Parisian Bishop Germain, was buried after his death in 576, classified as a Catholic saint, as well as the first kings of the Merovingian dynasty, but in IX the church was burned by the Normans.

In the 11th century, the bell tower was built, which still stands out for its height among later buildings, and in the 12th century, the main volume of the church with the altar part (in the 17th century, the temple was rebuilt again, but the bell tower and the altar part retained their strict features of the architecture of the early Middle Ages )

vincennes castle
Romanesque architecture, with all its elaboration of architectural forms and compositions, became only a harbinger of the formation of a new architectural style - Gothic, which originated in France. And since Paris was the capital, it inevitably became the main "construction laboratory" of the new architectural thinking.

In the eastern Parisian suburb of Vincennes, a structure, founded in the early Middle Ages and developed in the Gothic era, has been preserved in a slightly modified form - the Vincennes Castle, which at one time was a royal residence. By 1370, the construction of the castle, begun in the 11th century, was completed.

On the territory surrounded by a powerful wall and a moat, a residential tower rises - a donjon. Almost square in plan, the array of the 52-meter donjon is flanked by four corner round turrets. It was possible to get into the castle only through a drawbridge thrown over a moat, and a fortress gate in a wall with nine towers.

On the top of the powerful walls there was a battle course, which was covered by hinged loopholes (mashikuli). Here, somewhat away from the center of Paris, a closed court world was created, which even had its own small chapel. In its modern form, the entire complex, turned into a historical museum, is a characteristic monument of medieval architecture of the XIV century.

Gothic architecture was brought to life by the rapid growth of cities and the need for more spacious temples - in fact, the main public buildings of the medieval era. The accumulation of building experience and technical knowledge led to a qualitative leap in the construction of spans, vaults and supports.

The lancet arch began to be used, and vaulted coverings began to be built on a frame basis from stone ribs (ribs), made of especially durable stone. Now the outer walls, which have long served as supports, have lost their constructive meaning, and the vaults were supported by a system of open semi-arches (flying buttresses) and external supports (buttresses). This allowed the entire surface between the buttresses to be made of glass in a stone frame, marking the beginning of the famous medieval stained glass windows made of colored glass on lead gaskets.

A brilliant example of Gothic architecture is Notre Dame Cathedral (Notre Dame de Paris) towering in the eastern part of the island of Cite. Around 550, on the site of the ancient temple of Jupiter, at the behest of the Frankish king Childebert I, the Basilica of Saint Etienne was built, to which the baptistery dedicated to John the Baptist adjoined, and the Church of Our Lady (there was also the residence of Bishop Herman of Paris).

In the middle of the XII century, it was decided to rebuild them and actually build a new, more spacious church. The construction, begun on the initiative of the Parisian bishop Maurice de Sully in 1163, took a long time and was completed only in 1343 (it was then that the chapels between the buttresses and the crown of chapels around the choir were created).

Grandiose for those times, the cathedral, capable of simultaneously accommodating about 10 thousand people (length - 130 m, width - 108 m, height of the towers - 69 m, vault height - 39 m), became a kind of model for all medieval temple building in France. Around Notre-Dame-de-Paris were the convent of Our Lady, the cathedral schools and the houses of the canons.

The architecture of the cathedral reflected the whole process of the development of Gothic. The horizontal divisions and the heavy lower tier of the western façade are echoes of the Romanesque style, while the system of wide flying buttresses, a heavily dissected and pointed through gallery at the foot of the towers, and round roses are a vivid embodiment of Gothic architecture.

A gallery of stone statues of kings from the Old Testament stretches over the portals (earlier there were statues of kings in the niches), figures of gargoyles are placed on the ledges of the cornices, and the choir fence with bas-reliefs and the statue of Our Lady on the northern portal are real examples of the art of medieval sculptors (once the sculptures of the cathedral were painted and even partially gilded). Among the polychrome stained-glass windows, large roses on the axis of the western facade and on the ends of the transverse nave (transept) are especially noteworthy. In the 18th century, most of the colored stained-glass windows were replaced with white glazing, the stained-glass windows remained only in roses (moreover, the stained-glass window dates back to the 13th century only in the northern rose)

Conciergerie
The western part of the island is occupied by the huge complex of the Palace of Justice. Its northern façade, overlooking the right tributary of the Seine, gives a vivid picture of a harsh royal castle with a prison and a treasury where the treasury was kept.

Three of the surviving towers date back to the 13th century, and the corner tower was built a century later (a bell was installed on it, announcing the birth of the royal heir to all of Paris, and the first tower clock in the city).

After King Charles V moved to the more spacious Louvre in the 14th century, the Parliament, the Audit Chamber and other government bodies remained in the old residence of the monarch.

In 1417, the chancellor of France was appointed to the post of concierge, that is, the gatekeeper of the royal dwelling, which is why the castle was named Conciergerie. In the 19th century, the building was significantly expanded, at the same time the facade was decorated, facing the Place Dauphine.

Chapel Sainte-Chapelle

The most outstanding object in the Conciergerie Palace is the Sainte-Chapelle - the Holy or Royal Chapel, located in the southeastern courtyard of the complex (part of the facade of the chapel overlooks the Palace Boulevard, crossing the Cité between the Pont Change and the Pont Saint-Michel).

It was built in 1246-1248 by order of the pious King Louis IX the Saint to store numerous sacred relics, and above all the highly revered Crown of Thorns, acquired by the monarch for a huge amount at that time from Venetian usurers. The name of the architect is not known for certain, usually the construction of the chapel is attributed to Pierre de Montreuil.

The elongated high volume of the Sainte-Chapelle contains two halls located one above the other. In the lower hall, two rows of columns support bundles of ribs that carry vaults. The upper hall, which is actually the Royal Chapel, has a 10-meter span and is free from internal supports (it seems that the vaults raised to a height of seven meters are floating in the air).

The hall is surrounded by colored stained-glass windows, between which there are thin stone pillars, branching under the arches into several ribs. The rose at the end above the entrance, with its complex interweaving of the stone base, symbolizes the flaming Gothic of the 15th century (the bell tower was also built on at the same time).

The blue-painted pillars and vaults of the chapel are ornamented with repeated gilded inserts in the form of a stylized lily flower in the upper hall and the silhouette of a castle in the lower hall (the golden lily on a blue background symbolizes the royal coat of arms of France). In the middle of the 19th century, the Sainte-Chapelle building underwent restoration, during which Viollet-le-Duc recreated the spire and a significant part of the stained-glass windows, while managing to preserve the specifics of the Gothic period of its heyday.

Saint-Germain-l "Auxerroy

Opposite the eastern facade of the Louvre is the Gothic temple of Saint-Germain-l "Auxerrois, founded in the 12th century (since then only the high Romanesque bell tower has survived).

The choirs of the 13th century belong to the early Gothic, the main body of the temple of the 15th century - to the flaming Gothic, and the side portal - to the Renaissance. Like most medieval buildings in Paris, this temple was later reconstructed, but unique rib vaults, a lacy rose, valuable stained-glass windows, numerous sculptural completions of cornices, gutters and turrets were preserved.

Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois was the parish church of the royal court, located in the nearby Louvre castle, so many artists, sculptors, architects and scientists who worked and lived at the court are buried in it. The bell on the tower of this church announced the beginning of the massacre of the Huguenots on St. Bartholomew's night (August 24, 1572)

Saint Julien-le-Povre

Saint-Étienne-du-Mont

Among other buildings that appeared in Paris during the Middle Ages, today there are the churches of Saint-Julien-le-Povre, Saint-Etienne-du-Mont, Saint-Severin, Saint-Medar and the Holy Archangels, the Clovi (or Clovis) tower and other buildings preserved from the abbey of St. Genevieve and now belonging to the Lyceum of Henry IV, the Bernardine College, now occupied by the French Catholic Academy, and the Hotel de Cluny (V arrondissement), the churches of St. Gervais, St. Dam and Hotel de Sans (IV arrondissement), churches Saint-Martin-de-Champs and Saint-Nicolas-de-Champs, Hotel de Soubise,

Lyceum Henry IV, one of the most prestigious educational institutions in France, is located on the territory of the former abbey of Saint Genevieve, which was founded by Clovis in honor of Saints Peter and Paul after the Battle of Vuillet at the request of his wife Queen Clotilde. On the Days of Cultural Heritage, the lyceum opened its doors to everyone.

Hôtel de Clisson, a fragment of the castle tower, formerly part of the Templar fortress of the Temple, and the house of Nicolas Flamel (III arrondissement), the refectory of the convent of the Cordeliers, now occupied by the medical school of Paris Descartes University (VI arrondissement), the church of Saint-Leu-Saint-Gilles (I district), the Church of Saint-Pierre-de-Montmartre (XVIII district), the tower of Jean the Fearless, formerly part of the palace of the Dukes of Burgundy (II district)

Church of Saint-Gervais,

Hotel de Cluny

Church of Saint-Martin-des-Champs

Hotel Subise

Tower of Jean the Fearless

Two dozen surviving fragments of the fortress wall from the era of Philip II Augustus in 1889 were classified as historical monuments. Now they are located on the streets of Jour, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the Louvre and Saint-Honoré (I district), on the streets of Etienne Marcel and Tiketon (II district), on the Rue Temple (III district), on the streets of Ave Maria, Charlemagne, Franc -Bourgeois, Jardin-Saint-Paul and Rosier (IV arrondissement), in rue d'Arras, Cardinal Lemoine, Fosse-Saint-Bernard, Clovy, Descartes and Tuen (V arrondissement), in the courtyards of Commerce-Saint-André and Rogan, on the Quai de Conti, Rue Dauphine, Rue Mazarin, Rue Nelle and Rue Genego, at the cul-de-sac of Nevers (VI arrondissement)

Place de la Bastille

Fragments of the walls, towers, underground chambers and moats of the famous Bastille, destroyed in 1791, have been preserved around the modern Place de la Bastille: on Bourdon and Henry IV boulevards, Saint-Antoine street, Bastille metro station and in the port of Arsenal on the Saint-Martin canal

Former convent of the Cordeliers, 14th century

Church of Saint-Merry, XIV-XVII century

Church of Saint-Nicolas-des-Champs,

XII-XVII century Church of Saint-Severin,

13th-15th century Hotel de Clisson

14th century Hotel de Sans

15th-16th century Church of Saint-Pierre-de-Montmartre, 12th century

The first Parisian schools, which were purely clerical in nature, arose in the 12th century near the walls of Notre-Dame-de-Paris. Soon, wanting to leave the bishop's care, some of the teachers and their students moved to the left bank under the auspices of the more liberal abbeys of Sainte-Genevieve and Saint-Victor, where they founded the university.

Abbey Saint-Victor in a 1655 painting

The first royal privilege that legitimized his rights and freedoms (and also removed schools from the jurisdiction of the royal prevost), the association of masters and students of the Parisian school received in the charter of 1200, the union of schoolchildren appeared in the episcopal act of 1207, and the union of teachers - in the papal act of 1208 (officially, the University of Paris received its name only in 1217, the faculties were first mentioned in 1219).

Baroque façade of the Sorbonne (architect Jacques Lemercier, 1642)

The theologian Robert de Sorbon, confessor of King Louis IX, founded in 1253 on Coup-Gel Street a college, from whose name the entire university received its second name. Later, a printing house was organized at the Sorbonne, where in 1469 the first book in Paris was published.

College de France

The Latin Quarter actively developed throughout the 13th century, pushing the old cathedral schools located on the Cité and near the Small Bridge. Colleges or collegiums at the initial stage were small and rather unprepossessing buildings, where in a noisy atmosphere of fun, games, drunkenness and brawls, about 10 thousand young men lived and studied (according to other sources, in 75 colleges that crowded between Place Maubert and Sainte Hill -Genevieve, financed by wealthy aristocrats and religious orders, about 40 thousand people studied)

The Latin Quarter is one of the most famous districts of Paris in the world. It extends into the 5th and 6th arrondissements, centered around the Sorbonne and Mount Sainte-Genevieve. It crosses the "cardo de Paris", a north-south axis corresponding to the current rue Saint-Jacques and boulevard Saint-Michel

This area is still popular with students and professors, due to the presence of many scientific institutions there.

Lyceum Louis the Great, located in the center of the Latin Quarter on the site of the medieval University of Paris

The area also has many colleges and lyceums, often prestigious and historic: Louis-le-Grand, Fénelon, Henry IV, Saint-Louis, Notre-Dame-de-Sion, Stanislas, School, Alsatian, Montaigne, Lycée Lavoisier. Consequently, many bookstores specializing in Literature, Science, History, Medicine, Politics, Philosophy, Law are in the area, even if they tend to disappear.

Hôtel-Dieu hospitals in Paris, France

Marais quarter

Marais is one of the oldest quarters of Paris, which is considered the most extraordinary and unique place in the city. Why, you ask me? It's simple, the "hand of Baron Haussmann", the author of the restructuring of Paris at the end of the 19th century, did not reach him. Therefore, the features of a typical medieval city with a labyrinth of narrow streets, without sidewalks, clad in the walls of old mansions of the 17th-18th centuries, have been preserved here.

Mare, in translation means - a swamp that once was, in this very place, drained at the behest of the master of the Order of the Templars, already in the 13th century. It was with his light hand that the history of this quarter began, which became a haven for the monks of this mysterious Order. Subsequently, under Henry IV, the Place Royale (now the Place des Vosges - the oldest square in Paris) appeared here, which became the heart of this quarter. And this is not the only attraction of Marais.

Here is one of the most interesting museums in France - the Carnival, which contains unique exhibits that tell about the history of life in Paris for many centuries. And I will tell you about those people (Marquise de Brainvilliers, Princess Rogan, Madame de Sevigne, Duke of Orleans) who once owned these mansions and created the history of this beautiful country. ... And believe me, there is something to gossip about.

On Franc-Bourgeois Street there is a wonderful mansion with a turret. This is the house of Jean Herrouet (treasurer of Louis XII), built around 1510.

The Hotel de Angouleme-Lamoignon first belonged to the illegitimate daughter of Henry II, the Duchess of Angouleme, and then passed to Lamoignon, a representative of a famous French family. Now there is a historical library

Here is the Carnavale Museum (in general, it is located in two mansions - the Hotel Carnavale and the Hotel le Peletier de Saint Fargeo). The Hotel Carnavalet is famous for being rented in 1677 by Marie de Rabutin (aka Marquise de Sevigne). She became famous for the letters she wrote to her relatives and friends. "Letters of Madame de Sevigne" were published 30 years after her death and made a splash in Paris

Place des Vosges, arcades du cote est - Paris

The oldest house in Paris is the house of Nicolas Flamel, which dates back to 1407. Located at 51 rue de Montmorency

On François Miron Street (rue François-Miron) there are two houses - 11 and 13, which date back to the 15th century

House number 12, which belonged to the abbey of Maubuisson and was reconstructed in 1540, is located on rue des Barres.

And finally, house number 3, which was built in 1644, has been preserved on rue Volta

Houses 44-46 Rue François Miron. They served the Cistercian abbey (XIII century). Now on the ground floor there is a wonderful shop on the history of Paris and an organization that deals with the historical monuments of Paris

If you enter the store, then on the right there will be steps to the basement, where the Gothic vaults of the Cistercian abbey of the 13th century have been preserved.

11-13 rue du Louvre

rue des Jardins-Saint-Paul

remnants of old walls

By the way, a small piece of ancient Paris can be seen at the beginning of the exposition in the Louvre (at underground level) - a piece of the first Louvre is on display. But somehow it’s not inserted in the best way (perhaps everything that remains), just a piece of tub-tower

Sources
Defurno M. Everyday life in the times of Joan of Arc. - Moscow: Eurasia, 2003. - 320 p.
Dubnov S. M. A Brief History of the Jews. - Rostov-on-Don: Phoenix, 2003. - 576 p.
Combo I. History of Paris. - Moscow: The whole world, 2002. - 176 p.
Kosminsky E. A. History of the Middle Ages. - Moscow: State Publishing House of Political Literature, 1952. - 748 p.
Luscher A. French society since Philip-August. - Moscow: Eurasia, 1999. - 414 p.
Pilyavsky V.I. and Leiboshits N.Ya. Paris. - Leningrad: Publishing house of literature on construction, 1968. - 112 p.
Roux S. Everyday life in Paris in the Middle Ages. - Moscow: Young Guard, 2008. - 252 p.

Architectural monuments of medieval Paris

This first Christian abode soon became an abbey in the fields outside the city. It was managed by a certain father Germain,

This is how the name Saint-Germain des Pres appeared.

After King Charles V moved to the more spacious Louvre in the 14th century, the Parliament, the Audit Chamber and other government bodies remained in the old residence of the monarch.

Chapel Sainte-Chapelle

Saint-Germain-l "Auxerroy

Opposite the eastern facade of the Louvre is the Gothic temple of Saint-Germain-l "Auxerrois, founded in the 12th century (since then only the high Romanesque bell tower has survived).

Saint Julien-le-Povre

Saint-Étienne-du-Mont

Hotel de Cluny

Church of Saint-Martin-des-Champs

Hotel Subise

Tower of Jean the Fearless

Place de la Bastille

Former convent of the Cordeliers, 14th century

Church of Saint-Merry, XIV-XVII century

Church of Saint-Nicolas-des-Champs,

XII-XVII century Church of Saint-Severin,

13th-15th century Hotel de Clisson

14th century Hotel de Sans

15th-16th century Church of Saint-Pierre-de-Montmartre, 12th century

Abbey Saint-Victor in a 1655 painting

Baroque façade of the Sorbonne (architect Jacques Lemercier, 1642)

College de France

This area is still popular with students and professors, due to the presence of many scientific institutions there.

Lyceum Louis the Great, located in the center of the Latin Quarter on the site of the medieval University of Paris

Hôtel-Dieu hospitals in Paris, France

Marais quarter

On Franc-Bourgeois Street there is a wonderful mansion with a turret. This is the house of Jean Herrouet (treasurer of Louis XII), built around 1510.

Place des Vosges, arcades du cote est - Paris

The oldest house in Paris is the house of Nicolas Flamel, which dates back to 1407. Located at 51 rue de Montmorency

On François Miron Street (rue François-Miron) there are two houses - 11 and 13, which date back to the 15th century

House number 12, which belonged to the abbey of Maubuisson and was reconstructed in 1540, is located on rue des Barres.

And finally, house number 3, which was built in 1644, has been preserved on rue Volta

If you enter the store, then on the right there will be steps to the basement, where the Gothic vaults of the Cistercian abbey of the 13th century have been preserved.

11-13 rue du Louvre

rue des Jardins-Saint-Paul

remnants of old walls

Paris, 1493, Nuremberg chronicle:

The Middle Ages in France is the heyday of religion, Romanesque and Gothic art, stained glass, and all kinds of crafts. Despite numerous reconstructions, Paris still keeps wonderful evidence of bygone days.

Program

We start the tour from the most famous cathedral in France - Notre Dame, the embodiment of classical Gothic. The history of the birth and development of the Gothic style in France and Europe. Secrets and legends of the cathedral.
The history of the island of Cité, where Paris was born. Royal Castle of the Conciergerie with the first capital clock of the XIV century and the Holy Chapel, decorated with stained glass windows of the XIII century and built by Saint Louis for the relics of Christ.
The Right Bank is the most populous part of Paris during the Middle Ages. Wooden half-timbered houses of the 15th century; remains of monastic warehouses; wall of Philip-Augustus (end of the 12th century); gallery of the monastery of Billet (the only one preserved in Paris); the late Gothic butchers' tower Saint-Jacques; Place du Chatelet; the churches of Saint-Merry, Saint-Gervais and Saint-Germain-l "Auxerrois; the tower of Jean the Fearless; the oldest house in Paris.
The left bank is the university quarter of the Medieval Sorbonne. Saint-Germain-des-Prés is the oldest church in Paris; Latin Quarter; the churches of Saint-Severin and Saint-Julien-le-Povre (the arrival of students and teachers of the Sorbonne); Cluny Mansion (Museum of the Middle Ages); the Bernardine College (the brightest example of monastic architecture of the 13th century); the oldest sign in Paris.

I always have a professional camera with me, and I will gladly, completely free of charge, take memorable pictures for you according to your desire.

Book an excursion on any of the available days in the calendar

This is a private tour. in Russian, the guide will conduct it for you and your company.
On the site you pay 20% of the cost, and the rest of the money - to the guide on the spot. You can

The city was formed in the middle of the 3rd century BC. from the Celtic settlement of Lutetia of the tribe of the Parisians on the site of the modern island of Cité. The modern name of the city comes from the name of this tribe. The first written mention of Lutetia is found in the 6th book of Julius Caesar on the war with Gaul in 53 BC.

Plan Lutetia

The Île de la Cite had a clear division into the royal half with palace buildings and the quarters of servants and artisans surrounding them, and the clerical area with Notre Dame Cathedral and the possessions of the archbishop and cathedral clergy adjacent to it. Large monasteries such as Saint-Denis, Saint-Germain, Saint-Laurent and others were also at the center of large estates. To this should be added the possessions of large secular lords. Depending on what place the owners of these estates occupied in the general hierarchical structure of feudal society, the size of their land allotments and the nature of the architectural appearance of the main structures depended. It can be said directly that the monumental buildings of that time formed the architectural backbone of medieval Paris.

When in 52 BC. the Romans, after the first unsuccessful attempt, tried to approach the city for the second time, the Parisians set fire to Lutetia and destroyed the bridges. The Romans left them an island and built a new city on the left bank of the Seine. There they erected baths, a forum and an amphitheater. In the Roman Empire, the city did not have much influence.

Plan of Paris, 1223

Middle Ages

Roman rule ended by 508 with the arrival of the Franks.

In the future, the development of Paris as a major trade and craft center caused an increase in population. On the site of the former fields, vineyards and wetlands that separated the feudal estates, urban quarters arose in which artisans settled, already united in guild corporations. At the turn of the XII - XIII centuries. by order of King Philip Augustus (1180-1223), a city wall was built on the right bank of the Seine, and in 1210 on the left bank, within the boundaries of which the city began to quickly condense. In addition to the old roads, new streets, lanes and dead ends arose. At the same time, the Louvre fortress was being built on the western outskirts of Paris.

Of great importance in the formation of the street system of Paris was played by its shopping centers. Some of them arose in the early Middle Ages (for example, fairs near the country monasteries of Saint-Denis, Saint-Germain, Saint-Laurent), as well as later markets near the Temple (Templar monastery) and the abbey of Saint-Jacques (Hospital Order). Significant territories along the banks of the Seine in the eastern part of the city and beyond were occupied by wholesale markets for grain, wine, firewood and hay. The largest organization in medieval Paris was the union of "merchants on the water", which owned a monopoly of trade navigation along the Seine, Marne, Oise and Ionne. This corporation not only occupied the coastal territories of great extent, but actually held the city administration of Paris in its hands, since from 1260 the head of this workshop became the mayor.

In addition to the auctions listed above, since 1110 the main market (the future "womb of Paris") functioned in Paris, which arose in the western part of the city at the gates of Saint-Honoré, which sold all types of goods, mainly of Parisian production. Markets and auctions "cemented" the parochial fragmented structure of the medieval city and, along with the main city centers - church, civil and palace - formed its architectural and spatial structure.

On the example of Paris, one can understand that the Western European city of the XIII-XIV centuries. was uneven. It had feudal elements and elements of early bourgeois society. This was precisely the most characteristic feature of such a complex socio-economic phenomenon as the medieval city was.

No less complex was the artistic essence of the medieval city. It, like its socio-economic structure, was not homogeneous. On the one hand, the church and the top of the feudal society, in an effort to strengthen religious ideas, contributed to the formation of an aesthetics based on an idealistic worldview, on the recognition of divine harmony and perfection, on the desire for symbolism. On the other hand, medieval urban art was realistic in the full sense of the word, since it was folk and inseparable from everyday craft. The construction of temples, town halls, residential buildings and fortress walls was the work of the townspeople themselves and therefore reflected the most vital real needs. These two aspects of medieval art were embodied in urban ensembles of the 11th-14th centuries.

Since the 11th century, Paris has been one of the centers of European education, primarily religious. In the XIII century, as a result of disagreements among teachers, a number of "independent" colleges, the progenitors of the modern Sorbonne, were opened on the left bank (the modern Latin Quarter).

In the XIV century, the city was surrounded by another wall on the right bank, on the site of today's Grand Boulevards.

new time

Taking of the Bastille.

During the reign of Louis XIV, the royal residence moved to Versailles, but Paris still remained the political center of France, thanks to the growing population and the leading role of Paris in the country's economy.

In 1844, the third fortification wall was built around the city, on the site of today's ring road around the city. In the immediate vicinity of the city, fortifications 39 km long with 16 forts were erected, at that time it was the largest defensive structure in the world.

The Eiffel Tower was built for the 1889 World's Fair

In the second half of the 19th century, 5 of the 21 World Exhibitions are held in Paris, which well reflects the cultural and political influence of the city.

After the decline of the Second Empire and the capture of Paris by German troops, the Paris Commune, consisting of workers, artisans and petty bourgeois, opposed the provisional conservative government of the republic.

In the 1990s and the first decade of the 20th century, also known as the Belle Epoque, France experienced an unprecedented rise and economic development.

During the Second World War, the city was occupied by the German Wehrmacht, the occupation lasted until the end of August 1944.

Mass riots began in Paris in May 1968, which ultimately led not so much to a change of government as to a radical redistribution of society, a change in the mentality of the French.

Map of Paris 21st century