La Villette Park

La Villette Park    For the architecture alone, you should not miss visiting this ultra-modern museum. All glass and stainless steel, bridges and suspended walkways, transparent escalators and elevators, this museum has been designed so that you feel like you are in a "city of the future".

The "Parc de la Villette" is located between the Porte de la Villette and the Porte de Pantin. It is the largest Park Intra Muros of Paris. The place accomodates a complete urban project: * the city of sciences and industry,  * the city of the Music,  * the Large Market,  * the room of spectacle of the Zenith.  Located on old the abbatoirs of Paris, the Park of the Villette is an active space, a new district of meeting, culture and leisures. Place of exhibitions, documentation, communication and search, the City presents the largest scientific, technological projections of our time. Using the most recent techniques of audio-visual and data-processing communications, it proposes multiple and complementary activities and offers a new way of learning, of listening and of being moved so that each one remains an actor of the future world.   The Design   For the architecture alone, you should not miss visiting this ultra-modern museum. All glass and stainless steel, bridges and suspended walkways, transparent escalators and elevators, this museum has been designed so that you feel like you are in a "city of the future".   What to see   The permanent exhibition is called "Explora". This exhibit is divided into 3 main themes : - Water as a major link between the universe and life that's why the Cité des Sciences is surrounded by water. - Vegetation coming in three bio-climatic - Light, source of energy of the livingworld,illuminates the exhibition space of permanent exhibitions thanks to two rotating cupolas. The Cite des sciences allows the visitors to touch and play with various subjects of experiences such as sounds, robots, computer science, expression and behaviour, oceans, energy, light, the environment, mathematics, space. With its interactive computers, multimedia displays, videos, holograms, animated models and games, this museum permits the visitor to "explore" and discover. An example of the chaos theory is displayed by a wheel of glasses rotating below a stream of water and the control of motion is entirely unpredictable. Do not miss the hydroponic plants as well as the flight simulator.   Other activities at the Museum   You can also discover the planetarium, the Cinema Louis Lumiere which plays a short stereo-scopic film at 11:30am, 2pm, 3:30pm, 4pm, 4:30pm., and other exciting exhibits are the Geode, Argonaute, Cinaxe and the park itself.  There are also several cafés.   The Argonaute   Discover a real 1957 french military submarine in which you can clamber about and discover masses of facts about underwater transportation.   The Geode and the Cinaxe   The Geode shows films shot on the 180o Omnimax system, while the Cinaxe combines 70mm film shot at 30 frames a second with seats that move.   The Park   Besides the permanent exhibits, throughout the park, you can discover the temporary exhibits which talk about history and philosophy as well as science. Walkman guide in English is available at the counter in the main hall, and includes details of the architecture, explanations for Explora and the soundtrack for the Planetarium shows. The city of the Villette it is also: 1 The Park Designed by Bernard Tschumi the park is organized in three systems: the buildings or Madnesses mark the site and its reference marks, circulations give him which combine two perpendicular galleries, surfaces: 7 ha of meadows and sports grounds. 2. The Grande Halle  Old Market of cows of the cattle market of the Villette, it is reconverted since 83 in general-purpose room and can accomodate more than 15 000 people 3. The Zenith Inaugurated in 1984 it is particularly devoted to the variety and the rock'n'roll. 4. The theatre of the Villette Ancien house of the Stock Exchange it accomodates primarily contemporary authors. 5. the City of the Music. Built by Christian de Portzamparc like a contemporary village. It accomodates in the western part the Academy Higher Main road of Music and Dance of Paris as well as the Museum of the M.   Practical Information   How to get there Metro line 5 or 7: Porte de la Villette, Porte de Pantin Bus : PC Opening Open every day from 10am to 6pm, on Sunday: from 10am to 7pm Closed on monday, 1st May and 25th December Fees: - Explora Full price: 7,50 euros Reduced : 5,50 euros Free under 7 - Planetarium Explora +3 euros supplement - Cité des Enfants : 5 euros for anyone. - Géode : full fee: 8,75 euros reduced fee: 6,75 euros - Cinaxe Full price : 5,20 euros Reduced : 4,50 euros You can also buy a daily pass.

The Orsay Museum

The Orsay Museum    The Orsay museum may not be the massive size of Louvre, but its Impressionist collection is among the best in the world. The museum is housed in a former rail station, and has the atmosphere and personality to match. The Musee d'Orsay attracts more than 2 million visitors annually.

History   Built in the year 1900 by Victor Laloux, this train station was meant to service the Orleans line. Unfortunately, the line ceased because the platforms were not long enough. After being used for a variety of purposes, the whole building was entirely refitted inside and transformed into an art museum covering the period from 1850 to 1914, with an area of 50 000 m2. The conversion of this abandoned train station, the Gare d'Orsay, into the Musee d'Orsay marked a major advance in the reorganization of the different collections. The museum is devoted to all art forms from the second half of the 19th century (painting, sculpture, architecture, music and items trom everyday life). Significant Impressionist and neo-lmpressionist works are on display, as well as the creations of the more conservative academic school that was also known as Pompier in France. Art-Nouveau objects and blue-prints complement the collections.   Design   The giant, 32-m-high (102-ft) and 140 m-long (450-ft) main hall of the station, artfully surrounded by a delicate iron construction enabling the abundant use of glass, was deserted by all, except for the rats. By the 1960s, the dilapidation had progressed to the point that Orson Welles chose it as a backdrop for his filming of Kafka's The Trial. And in 1971 it was finally decided to tear the building down. Fortunately, this did not occur and during Georges Pompidou's term of office as president, the idea of transforming the train station into a museum first emerged. His successor, Giscard d'Estaing, eventually gave the go-ahead for the time-consuming and expensive renovations. The work began in 1980. Some 270 million US dollars flowed out of the taxpayers' pockets before President Miterrand could proceed to ceremoniously dedicate it.   The Collections   The collection is made up mostly from the late works of the Louvre and the Impressionist paintings from the nearby museum Jeu de Paume. You can also find works from the mid-nineteenth century to the early twentieth, chronologically bridging the Louvre and the Pompidou Center. Displayed on the ground floor, are earlier works devoted to sculpture with Dance. The hall has two rows of smaller rooms which are filled with works by Daumier, Millet, Rousseau, Corot and peasant paintings. In the last room, you can find such works by Courbet. And if you like Monet, there is a room dedicated to him. Other artists are present such as Bazille, Delacroix, Puvis de Chavanne, Degas and Gustave Moreau. And if you are a fan of Oriental Art, you will enjoy the ingeniously designed gallery. On the second floor you can see such popular art of the nineteenth century and rooms with furniture and decoration by well-respected "fin-de-siecle painters" (Monet, Pissaro, Renoir, Degas, Sisley and Van Gogh, Cezanne, Gauguin and Toulouse-Lautrec). The building is extremely large and much works have been taken out of reserve stock to fill out the displays. It is advised to start on the ground level with the Impressionist painters and then take the escalators to the upper floor to see the Impressionists and their successors.    Practical information   Where can you find the Musée d'Orsay Next to the Palace of the Legion of Honour, on the quai Anatole France and across the rue de Bellechasse, is the old Orsay station.  How to get there Metro line 12: Solférino, Assemblée Nationale Bus : 24, 63, 68, 69, 73, 83, 84, 94. RER C : Musée d'Orsay Opening Tuesday to Sunday open 10am - 6pm Tursday open until 9.45pm Sunday : 9am-6pm. Closed on Mondays, January 1st , May 1st, December 25th. Fees Full fare : 7 euros special price: 5 euros Sundays : 5 euros Free the first sunday of each month Free below 18 years old

Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain

Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain    The aim of the Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain is to present the work of living artists around the world and to promote a wide range of contemporary art from painting and sculpture to photography and video.

Founded in 1984 and established since 1994 in Paris in a building designed by the architect Jean Nouvel and surrounded by a garden created by the artist Lothar Baumgarten, the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain is situated at 261, boulevard Raspail in the heart of Montparnasse. The aim of the Fondation Cartier is to present the work of living artists around the world and to promote a wide range of contemporary art from painting and sculpture to photography and video.  Its activities are focused on organizing exhibitions in France and abroad, building up and enriching its collection with new acquisitions, and regularly commissioning works from artists. With Nomadic Nights it has enlarged its programme to include theatre, music and dance activities held to coincide with the exhibitions. Ever since it was founded, the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain has varied its programme so as to include both one-man shows and group or thematic exhibitions. Each of these projects is carried out in close collaboration with the artists concerned.   Practical Information   How to get there Métro: lines 4, 6, stations Raspail, Denfert-Rochereau Bus: 38, 68 RER B: Denfert-Rochereau Exhibitions Every day, except Monday, from 12 am to 8 pm Entrance fee: 5 euros Reduced rate: 3.50 euros (students, under 25s, old-age pensioners and Amis des Musées card-holders) Free admission (not including Nomadic Nights): Circle of Friends, under 10s, ICOMs and the unemployed Nomadic Nights Every Thursday at 8.30 pm (except special evenings) Entrance fee (including entrance to exhibitions): 5 euros.  Reduced rate: 3.50 euros

Bibliothèque Nationale de France

Bibliothèque Nationale de France    The National Library is an institution going back to 1368, housing the largest collection of geographical maps in the world along with 12 millions printed works and 250 000 manuscripts.

The Bibliothèque Nationale de France was first a royal and later an imperial library before becoming a national institution. Its mission is to collect and conserve all works published, whatever the media, with the purpose of making them available to researchers and professionals. Under french law, publishers must deposit several copies of the works they publish in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France.   History   Following the decree issued by Francois 1er in 1537, this obligation was gradually extended from books alone to cover all works printed in France (periodicals, engravings, posters, musical scores, etc.). In 1925, other media and technical processes (photographs, films, phonograph records, etc.) were added to the list. After a long wandering through the royal palaces, in 1570 the library finally settled down in Paris in the Richelieu edifice. In 1868 the Printed Papers great reading room built by the architect Labrouste was inaugurated. Since 1992, the submission of computerized and multi-media documents has also been required. These legal deposits have substantially enriched the library's collections and give publishers, authors and artists the assurance that their works will be preserved for posterity. The Bibliothèque Nationale de France is at the core of an exchange and cooperation network that includes libraries and research centres in France and abroad. Due to the regular, rapid growth of its collections and the development of research in general, the library at the rue de Richelieu site outgrew the building some 25 years ago and has been hard-pressed to fulfill its various missions. In 1988, it was decided to build a new facility in the 13th arrondissement in Paris, now called the François Mitterrand site. With this new building and 3600 reading units, the capacity of the library is significantly increased.   Collections   Since the XV th century's invention of printing, thanks to the obligation of deposit as well as trades and donations the Printed Papers Department owns about 12 millions books, among them two copies of Gutenberg Bible. The new library François Mitterrand consists of : - reading rooms open to a public which had long been unable to use the Bibliothèque Nationale in Rue de Richelieu (open to all visitors 16 years old and over). This level opened december 1996. There are 1600 available reading units with open access to a collection of 180 000 volumes. - the research library (opening october 1998). 2000 seats reserved for the consultation of all collections acquired through legal deposit (10 million volumes : collections of books, periodicals and audiovisual documents). Among the specialized collections soon to be reorganized at the Richelieu site : - The Geographical Maps (1st collection in the world) - The world richest collection of engravings (12 millions) and photos (2 millions).  - 250 000 manuscripts including the Dead Sea Papyrus and medieval psaulm books with painted works such as Carolus Magnus and Louis IX's ones. - 600 000 coins and medals. - Antiques - Music and performing arts.   Practical information   How to get there Metro: line 14, Grande Bibiliothèque, line 6, "Quai de la Gare"  Bus: 62, 89. Opening Tuesday to Saturday: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday: noon to 7 p.m.

paris

Paris

Paris is the capital city of France. It is situated on the River Seine, in northern France. The City of Paris has an estimated population of 2,153,600 within its administrative limits. Paris is an area of unbroken urban growth that extends well beyond the administrative city limits and has a population of 9.93 million. A commuter belt around the urban area completes the Paris metropolitan area that, with its population of 12 million, is one of the most heavily populated areas in Europe. An important settlement for more than two millennia, Paris is today one of the world's leading business and cultural centre, and its influence in politics,education,entertainment, media, fashion, science and the arts all contribute to its status as one of the world's major global cities. The Paris Region is France's foremost centre of economic activity. With 500.8 billion EU (US$628.9 billion), it produced more than a quarter of the gross domestic product (GDP) of France in 2006. The Paris Region hosts 36 of the Fortune Global 500 companies in several business districts, notably La Defense, the largest purpose-built business district inEurope. Paris also hosts many international organizations such as UNESCO, the OECD,the ICC and the informal Paris Club. Paris is the most popular tourist destination in the world, with over 30 million foreign visitors per year. There are numerous iconic landmarks among its many attractions, along with world famous institutions and popular parks "Modern" Paris is the result of a vast mid-19th century urban remodelling. For centuries it had been a labyrinth of narrow streets and half-timber houses, but beginning in 1852, the Baron Haussmann's vast urbanisation levelled entire quarters to make way for wide avenues lined with neo-classical stone buildings of bourgeoise standing; most of this 'new' Paris is the Paris we see today. These Second Empire plans are in many cases still in effect, as the city of Paris imposes the then-defined "alignement" law (imposed position defining a predetermined street width) on many new constructions. A building's height was also defined according to the width of the street it lines, and Paris' building code has seen few changes since the mid-19th century to allow for higher constructions. It is for this reason that Paris is mainly a "flat" city.

Assemblée Nationale - Palais Bourbon

Facing the Luxor obelisk this neo-classic palace (18th) houses one of the two chambers of the french parliament.

The frontage of the French Assembly, built by Poyet in 1804 and completed in 1807, matches the Madeleine church. The frontage of the courtyard opening on the other side is typically 19th century, with its vast colonnade framing high windows. Interior: the Royal Drawing Room and the Library are decorated in the Romantic style, and hung with paintings by Delacroix. The aristocratic quarter built at the end of the "Ancien Regime" runs into Boulevard Saint Germain .   History   The National Assembly or Congress known as the Bourbon Palace, was built by 4 different architects. Ordered by the Duchess of Bourbon daughter of Louis the XIVth and Madame de Montespan the first work began in 1722, by Giraldini, and was completed in 1728 by Lassurance, Gabriel and Aubert. Bought by Louis the XVth to ornate the Place de la Concorde it will later be joined by the Hotel de Lassay next door. Confiscated under the Revolution it will be used as the meeting place of the Council of the Five Hundreds then to host the brand new Ecole Polytechnique from 1794 to 1804.   The Surroundings   Do not leave until you have taken a look at some of the buildings, such as the number 78, rue de Lille, the Hotel de Beauharnais, with its Egyptian-style portico added in 1803, has beautiful Empire style interior decoration. Number 64, rue de Lille, the Hotel de Salm (1784), headquarter of the Legion d'Honneur, shows the return to the Classical style towards the end of the 18th century - in its triumphal archway, and ionic porticoes. At the far end of the courtyard is a semi-circular pavillion with simple window decorations which make you forget the austerity of the neo-classical frontage.   Practical information   How to get there Metro : line 12, Assemblée Nationale RER C : Musée d'Orsay Opening hours Visits on Saturdays 10h00, 14h00, 15h00. No visit allowed when the Assembly sits. Fees Free. Identity papers required.

La Défense

The 21 st century skyscrapers business district erected outside the western city-limits of Paris was recently enriched by the spectacular Grande Arche.

The Financial District   This business district is like a futuristic universe where form and content meet in beauty : active and lively during the day, deathly silent at night. Not just office buildings, but a variety of things to see. Besides the different international trade fairs, exhibitions, concerts or theatrical performances that take place in the CNIT or on the roof of the Arche, you can find a wide variety of restaurants, stores, and outdoor shows. And, for several years, on June 21st, the official Holiday of Music "Fête de la Musique", La Défense hosts a great music festival that includes all sorts of side shows using light and water.   History   "La Défense", whose lines can be followed to the Arc de Triomphe, along the Champs-Élysées to the Obelisk on Place de la Concorde, over the Tuileries gardens to the Louvre's Cour Carrée, assuming that the weather is clear and the air free of polluting fumes. This new business district is in the form of a group of towers more than 30 storeys high, which can be seen for several miles. A kiosk on the ground floor provides information on each of these Defense's ultra-modern architectural gems. From every last minute detail, the designers have paid attention to the surface decoration, and have not ignored modern artists either. Sculptures, mosaics and fountains keep the eyes busy and break up the monotony.    La Grande Arche   Six kilometres out from the Arc de Triomphe at the far end of the Voie Triomphale, has put La Défense high on the list of places to which Paris visitors must pay homage. Created by a Danish architect, Johan-Otto von Spreckelson who won a competition called by the President Mitterrand, this hollowed-out cube, weighing 300,000 tons, 110m (352 ft) high and 70 meters (225 ft) wide (The whole of Notre-Dame cathedral would fit in its frame), was entitled "La Grande Arche". This monument, dedicated to Fraternity, is built of concrete with a facing of Carrara marble and grey granite. On the esplanade are works by Takis, fountains, luminous signals and statues by Mirò. Various ministries have their offices in the massive supporting pillars, the human rights commission (Fondation des Droits de l'Homme) and major corporations have their office there.  The Arche also includes a large exhibition hall. Seated up above on the terrace one can admire the impeccable success of its perspective, whose lines can be followed to the Arc de Triomphe, along the Champs-Élysées to the obelisk on Place de la Concorde, over the Tuileries gardens to the Louvre's Cour Carrée, assuming that the weather is clear and the air free of polluting fumes.   Practical Information   How to get there ? Metro line 1 : La Défense RER A : La Défense Opening Open daily : The 1st April to 30th september 10 am to 8 pm  Tha 1st Otober to .0st March 10 am to 7 pm Fees Access to the roof terrace Adults: 9.00 euros Children, Students: 7.50 euros Free for children up to 6 years old