Glamour Apartments Blog

Paris. What do we not know about you?

ParisWe already have written many interesting materials about the French capital and we will continue to acquaint you with Paris, telling about historic facts, culture and traditions of Parisians, the best places which can be visited being in the city.

Paris is the first of all cities of the world by quantity of the tourists, annually coming to take pleasure in local color and sights. For today there is a lot of information which continues to remain known exclusively in narrow circles of local residents. Many of us know much about Tour Eiffel, the Louvre, Arch Triomphe, but in this article we will bring to your attention some interesting facts about which even few inhabitants of the capital of France know, and we hope that it will appear interesting to you. So, we will begin.

For many foreigners Paris associates with such grandiose construction, as Tour Eiffel which has been constructed in 1889. It is known to almost each adult; however, very few people know that the design initially reflected no more, as an exhibit for the World fair. Gustave Eiffel in the engineering project gave the tower no more than twenty years of operation, but when this time has passed municipal authorities of Paris have decided not to take it down. And today the well-known construction is a tourist object and the important element of telecommunications of the city.

One more interesting historical fact is that the first bared female striptease is noted on stage of an entertaining institution in this city in 1894. Thus, besides, that in the end of performance the woman remained naked, it didn’t have anything else in common with the modern one.

All of us consider Paris as a capital of modern fashion, a city loving writers, poets and artists, we consider it as monastery of all fine. And the few can know that the main French city has been designed so that it was convenient to conduct operations against a possible aggressor in it. And if to look narrowly at city streets you will find very few wide prospectuses, there are very narrow small streets which are much easier to barricade and make unsuitable for military technology moving. The idea of such architecturally-communication modernization of capital belongs to emperor Napoleon III, and it came to his mind in the middle of the century before last.

Modern Paris is called “the city of light”. It is not obliged by this name of the modern illumination. The name has appeared much earlier, at the time when the city was one of the main European centers of culture, philosophies, arts and education. This honorable name has been appropriated to the city as   the present light of culture of the country and the whole continent.

At last one of the most amusing statuses of the capital of France. Many people consider Paris as the most sexual city of the world; accordingly, Parisians appear the most loveful inhabitants of the planet.

It’s a small part from that bottomless well of what Paris is famous, and we will constantly open   new interesting facts of life and stories of this magnificent city for our readers.

Pont Notre-Dame. From frequent commerce and trading to a city road and an open-air museum.

Pont Notre-DameWe will continue speaking about Paris, to be exact about one of its most beautiful bridges which that crosses the Seine in Paris to city center – the Île de la Cité. Pont Notre-Dame – the bridge with a famous name and history will be the center of our attention today.

The Parisian bridge Pont Notre-Dame has been constructed in the beginning of the fifteenth century as an inhabited street (in general, it was peculiar to bridges of Paris) and connected aforementioned island with the right coast of the Seine a little above on the current from the well-known Pont au Change. So it has staid about a hundred years before it has been replaced by other construction, but the old bridge still remained.

That is remarkable that both bridges have continued to remain important for many Parisians who for business affairs moved from “the big” earth to the island, some had lived there.

The first of Notre-Dame bridges represented a grandiose extended construction which was quite often used for original parades during holidays. Local residents even named it Triumphal. However after one of celebratory actions during which the construction collapsed and killed lots of inhabitants of the capital, the main Parisian architect was ordered to design and erect the second bridge. This expert Fra Giovanni Giocondo constructed the new bridge from stone, it had in twenty four meters’ width and hundred twenty four meter’s length.

As we already marked, the French bridges of that time were high-grade inhabited and business streets. The same corresponded to the new bridge with numerous little shops owners of which lived on the top floors of the same buildings where they had shops. Besides, under the decision of the architects, all show-windows of shops on the new bridge had identical size.

In shops of local dealers there was a brisk trade in the goods for all tastes. Here it was always possible to find food, clothes, weapons, works of painting, products of jewelers and perfumers, medicine, in general, everything that could be necessary for local residents. Parisians with pleasure visited the bridge in hope to buy the necessary goods. For example, here was located the tiny boutique of the marchand-mercier Edme-François Gersaint – an art gallery which was so popular that in its memory it was decided to immortalise the special memorable tablet which said “The Signboard of Gersaint”.

As well as the old, the new Pont Notre-Dame was the place for celebratory walks and processions. So, in 1531 the future wife of the king of France François I has driven through it to Paris.

The following repair of the new Pont Notre-Dame has been carried out in 1660 before the wedding celebrations of the queen Maria Theresa of Spain and the well-known king Louis XIV.

Exactly after hundred years all inhabited and trading constructions have been taken down from the bridge, and it began to carry out its direct duties: transport moving and pedestrians walking easy.

Pont Notre-Dame remains this way up to this day, and being in the city on the Seine visit this beautiful historical place.

The Sorbonne — centuries-old traditions of the European education

The SorbonneEducation is a serious business, therefore each person chooses the higher educational institution considering it the most suitable to receive necessary knowledge. As well as in other spheres among the educational centers there is its own hierarchy, and accordingly there are universities in which it is more prestigious to study and in a consequence more useful.

As our resource is devoted to life in Paris, we would like to stop on the university which name is for many centuries a synonym of magnificent education, and its diploma is almost 100 percent guarantee of employment for the young expert. Parisian Sorbonne — is the main educational centre of France, in which on a free basis any person who properly knows French can apply for studying. Especially pleasantly for foreign students (namely on such Russian-speaking students we focus the given material) is  that they shouldn’t pay for a quality education, but at certain point can apply  for the high school grant – not big, but, as they say, a spare cash does not happen. Especially for a student from other country.

The university known today as the Sorbonne, has been founded in 1215 – during King Louis IX reign. The establishment has drawn attention of people from all Europe practically at once.  Representatives of the noblest families of France, British Isles and Sacred Roman Empire were among students and teachers. The advantage of the Sorbonne at all times was that talented people from any social layer could always get education at this university. And already then access to education has been open for inhabitants of any corner of the world. Today, for example, within the precincts of this great university about 10 thousand citizens of other states are trained.

If to speak about modern Parisian Sorbonne after grandiose student’s demonstrations in 1968 the university authorities have preferred to carry out reorganization of the university and to divide it into seventeen separate elements. Even though they don’t have general supervising structure, however in each of branches the binding to the general sports centre, department of vocational guidance and other structures is kept.

Despite the division of the legendary university, all branches which have received independence continue to adhere to old traditions in the activity.

If you wish to get education within the precincts of nice faculties of the Parisian university, you should receive the diploma about the high school termination, the permission to training, good knowledge of the French language and to have financial guarantees on residing at Paris. It is necessary to solve only standard visa questions and to go to comprehend medieval traditions of the European education.

Addresses of all universities having relation to the ancient Sorbonne, you will find in numerous information prospectuses or in the Internet.

We wish you success in your undertakings and receiving education in the Parisian university.

The Bois de Boulogne — live history of Paris

Le Bois de BoulogneIn Paris you will always find many interesting places and constructions to admire which will bring weight of positive emotions. We already have offered many fact-finding materials about sights of this remarkable city in the center of Europe. On pages of our resource we have articles not only about such sign places as Louvre, Tour Eiffel, Arch Triomphe, Notre Dame de Paris and other, but other attractive and interesting, but not so advertised places of interest: numerous museums (and you, for certain, know that Paris has most of all museums among all cities of the world), restaurants and bistro, exhibitions, cathedrals, squares, monuments and other architectural objects.

But the French capital is not famous only for the constructions. In Paris there are remarkable parks and woods, and we would like to tell you about one of them. This magnificent place is called the Bois de Boulogne – “Boulogne Woods”.

Le Bois de Boulogne is tenderly called by many Parisians one of city lungs. The second lung of Paris is the Bois de Vincennes which is situated in east part of the city. Bois de Boulogne is in the west (in 16th district) of Paris. Its area occupies eight hundred fifty hectare that really impresses and allows the wood to be wider than the London Hyde-park and the New York Central Park together taken.

Modern Bois de Boulogne has settled down where in olden time an ancient oak forest of Rouvray was situated, and its “pearl” is Château de Bagatelle, cozy hidden in the woods.

This Parisian wood has rich history. In the beginning of the fourteenth century the king of France Philippe IV le Bel, has made pilgrim visit to Boulogne-sur-Mer that has induced him to order building the Church of Boulogne Divine Mother in our wood. And since those medieval years there came the modern name of Bois de Boulogne.

In hundred years France took part in so-called centenary war in which the described wood has suffered. Soldiers under leadership of the duke of Burgundy have burnt a considerable part of wood. However, during Louis XI reign it has been restored thanks to new plantings. At that time two roads have appeared there.

After King Francis I of France built the Château de Madrid in the Bois de Boulogne, the wood became a site of festivities. In the eighteenth century Bois de Boulogne is one of the most favorite places for the pedestrian walks of representatives of the Parisian aristocracy. And only after Louis XIV order it became open for any public.

Emperor Napoleon has also decided to bring the powerful mite in wood history, during this monarch numerous avenues have been laid, water channels and lakes are created, and about four hundred thousand trees planted.

Modern Bois de Boulogne is the most beautiful place involving thousand of local residents and tourists in warm seasons. In its territory thematic gardens, children Entertainment Park and a zoo are placed.

It is impossible to describe all delights of Bois de Boulogne so if you will ever appear in Paris, use possibility to visit this beauty.

How the Parisian bourgeoisies lived a hundred years ago? Musée Nissim-de-Camondo will answer this question

Musee Nissim-de-CamondoThe fact that Paris is the first-ever city on number of museums, and not per capita, but in numerical equivalent is well-known. Over and over again we speak about it. On our site pages you can find a lot of interesting information about France and its capital Paris, read articles about the well-known and less known places of this city. The special place occupies the description of museums which as we hope, you will visit during your stay  in  this magnificent city of Louis, Richelieu, Balzac and other nice sons of France.

This time it’s turn of Muzee Nissim-de-Camondo which is a part of the big collection of works of art Les Arts Decoratifs. Musee Nissim-de-Camondo (as it is called in French) represents an exposition concerning the seventeenth century.

The history of occurrence of the museum is like that. In 1910 a French aristocrat count Moïse de Camondo has inherited an old private residence which throughout many years was the property of his deceased parents. However, the man has counted it not worthy to his condition and position in the society and has made decision to take down the house and to erect magnificent apartments on its place. The main reason of this act was the desire of the count to install the huge collection of works of art which was a part of the parental inheritance in the new private residence.

The house, as the count Camondo had wished, has been constructed and became his residence till his death in 1935. However this dear sir kept the collection of his parents and constantly aspired to its replenishment by other components.

After the count’s death the private residence has turned to a museum and has received the modern name which has been specified in the will of the owner. The word Nissim in the name of the museum stands for the name of the son of count Moïse who, being the fighting pilot died in an air battle during the First World War.

The distinctive feature of Musee Nissim-de-Camondo besides a collection of painting and a seventeenth century sculpture is the bright retrospective showing the real life of well-founded Parisian bourgeoisies of the first half of the last century. For those who admire this historical period, visiting the halls of this museum will be interesting. Before your look numerous exhibits, among which photos, decorative products, books, magazines and newspapers, interior subjects, clothes will appear… In general, here there is everything that allows showing visually the existence of society of Paris of that time.

  • If you were interested by Musee Nissim-de-Camondo description you will find it at rue de Monceau, 63 that is in the eighth department of the city nearby from underground Villers and Monceau stations.

Restaurant Les Ombres — romantic flight over Paris

Les OmbresIt is possible to speak and write about Paris infinitely, it is so great, inimitable and various. We won’t stop bringing new materials to your attention.  This time our choice has fallen on a remarkable restaurant Les Ombres.

It is difficult to judge but if to trust the opinion of Parisians it is necessary to call the given restaurant the most popular Parisian institution for today. And, being in Paris, you will see the proof of correctness of local residents by having visited always filled halls of Les Ombres. Every night hundreds of pleasant rest judges from Paris and city visitors gather here.

We should say that Les Ombres has more than enough reasons for popularity.

First, the institution is on a roof of the well-known Museum of civilizations of antiquity Quai Branly which has been designed by the well-known French architect Jean Nouvel (for those who don’t remember, this person is the owner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize).

The tourists who have visited this place say that the optimal time for restaurant visiting is an evening after you already take pleasure in viewing the works of art in the halls of the museum located lower. Without the slightest exaggeration we notice that Les Ombres will amaze you both with its culinary masterpieces, and simply amazing view opening before the visitors. To tell the truth, even glamorous Georges (a restaurant located on the roof of the Center of George Pompidou we already told in one of our previous articles) remains a bit behind.

The interior of the restaurant is extremely elegant and at the same time underlined laconic. The basic element of the interior is the decorative grid perfectly well combined with glass walls, looking through which, the well-known Tour Eiffel is represented to your eyes on distance of several meters. Sitting at a little table of this restaurant the bright fires of Paris at night and ships on the Seine will seem to you small glowworms before your eyes. The romanticism and restaurant atmosphere will amaze you already at the entrance and will continue to rejoice throughout all evening.

The head cook of Les Ombres is the pupil of the well-known master Joel Rebushon. This culinary specialist cooks for all visitors alone, therefore you shouldn’t expect excessively original appearance from the dishes, but their taste is simply magic. Alongside with many known Parisian restaurants the service at Les Ombres is not refined; it attracts visitors with the surroundings, spirit and a magnificent view on Paris. Don’t doubt that having spent a hundred Euros for a supper here; the impressions will remain in your memory for long years.

  • On the map you will find Les Ombres at: 27 quai Branly, Paris.

Touch the future in park La Villette

La VilletteThe French capital represents some kind of open-air “collection” of masterpieces of art, and the collection is great enough. Simple listing of sights of Paris there is always a chance of missing something, – there are so many of them.

In our small article we will not stop on the most significant (the Louvre, Versailles, Tour Eiffel, Arch Triomphe etc.) and the well-known Parisian sights. We will tell about park La Villette (one of the greatest in France) which you should visit necessarily, being in Paris. At least, you should see the local original architecture combining transparent lifts, bridges and avenues, unique mixture of glass and steel. In general, founders of this park have tried to make it an islet of futurism.

La Villette – is a grandiose project consisting of such elements, as city of music, a science and industry city, a market, a concert platform “Zenith”.

Located on a place of ancient Parisian slaughterhouses the modern park is one of the most “vivid” places in all city where the movement is created by thousand of Parisians and visitors of capital. Here business meetings are held, people walk, go shopping. In park La Villette exhibitions, international seminars and conferences are constantly held collecting visitors from various corners of the world. Each visitor of park can familiarize with all achievements of technological progress presented on these actions.  It is accessible thanks to numerous audio- and video units, and you involuntarily become the inhabitant of the world of the future.

As well as in any similar place, in park La Villette there is something each visitor should see.

Exposition Explora. The original exposition divided into three components: water, flora and light.

The science city in park is interactive that allows to observe live every possible natural phenomena or research experiments. In park halls all adjoins to various sciences (mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy and others). Visiting of scientific expositions will necessarily help everyone to open for him or herself something new and interesting.

Do not pass by the most interesting Planetarium, the legendary Louis Lumière cinema where to your attention will offer unique three-dimensional films.

Watch movies on the one thousand square meters hemispherical screen at cinema La Géode.

It is possible to continue the description of everything that is in park La Villette, but it is better to see it with your own eyes. We sincerely wish you to receive maximum of positive emotions from visiting “the corner of the future” in Paris.

Panthéon — the Parisian temple which has turned to a tomb

PanthéonParis is one of the brightest and interesting cities of the world. Thus the advantage of this city is its “being modern” and that walking on streets it is possible to study history. To be convinced of it there is no necessity to go to France; it is enough to see the list of sights the city is rich for.

In our previous materials we already told about such significant places for each Frenchman, as Versailles, the Louvre, and Arch Triomphe, Tour Eiffel, museum D’Orsay and many other things. And sincerely we hope that they have appeared for you interesting and useful. Today it would be desirable to continue our narration and to stop on one more interesting place of Paris.

The Panthéon is a magnificent neo-classical construction which became last shelter for many legendary sons of France.

As to architectural features of the Panthéon, its size fascinates the viewers. The length of the building makes a hundred and ten meters that together with eighty meters width does it one of the greatest not only in Paris, but also in all France. The dome height also impresses. To construct a building eight tens meters in height two hundred years ago was not the simplest business.

The building is obliged by the occurrence to King Louis XV who during serious illness has sworn in case of the recover to erect a temple on place of the Abbey of St Genevieve which was at that time in desolation. However, as it often happens, majestic persons are inclined not to fulfill their promises. So it has turned out in this case. Banal shortage of means in the country budget became the reason which has delayed building of the temple. Though it is necessary to notice that architect Jacques-Germain Soufflot has created the project of the future church in 1755.

Temple building eventually has been begun and has come to the end in 1789 when Great revolution established its rules in France. Possibly for this reason the Panthéon became not so much of a temple but a magnificent mausoleum for many «big” Frenchmen among whom it is possible to note such well-known people, as Voltaire, Hugo and Russo.

Certainly, it is possible to concern such mission of a religious temple differently, but the Pantheon carries out such historical function and is a magnificent creation of architectural thought of the eighteenth century. For this reason we advise to all tourists coming to Paris, to include the Panthéon in the list of places for visiting.

Paris Museum Pass — your admission card to any museum of Paris

Paris Museum Pass Paris… The Beauty presented by France, is no longer far and inaccessible to inhabitants of our country and all its sights can be seen easily for rather small sum of money.

Not always money is capable to give what it would be desirable. Similar situations are actual staying in the French capital. Coming to this wonderful European city, many thousands of tourists from every corner of the globe aspire to visit the greatest possible quantity of remarkable Parisian places during very short time. Thus they quite often create rather big lines and “corks” that please nobody.

Nowadays in Paris there are some hundreds of the most interesting museums which are the strongest magnet drawing travelers from different corners of our planet at any time of year.  And if it is almost always  possible to come into the Parisian wax museum freely,  to admire expositions of the Louvre or D’Orsay it is necessary to spend in a long line, you will have to suffer, after all these are the cult sights of Paris and  masterpieces of world art.

But the solution to this problem is already found. Paris Museum Pass is your admission card to the world of museums of Paris. The given subscription extends on all museums of the capital of France. It is some kind of a “ticket” having which on hands gives  the person a release from necessity to stand idle in a huge line as for owners of Paris Museum Pass there are separate “entrance corridors” (like “a green” corridor on borders).

Thanks to this museum card you save your time and can visit much more of the most interesting museum expositions. In Paris it is really a lot from what to choose. Louvre, D’Orsay, Montparnasse museum, Picasso’s museum, le Invalides, George Pompidou’s Center and many other things.

The advantage of Paris Museum Pass besides possibility of visiting all museums of Paris without staying in lines is that you can get a card for certain number of days. The Parisian museum cards are now accessible for two, four and six days.

Certainly, it is difficult to visit in this time all museums of the city, but anyway, having bought this card, you will save on tickets, and keep the precious minutes of stay in this magic city, the name to which is Paris.

Site of Paris Museum Pass: www.parismuseumpass.com

Palais Bourbon – parliament with monarchic roots

Palais Bourbon – parliament with monarchic rootsUndoubtedly that for the majority of foreign tourists Paris is, first of all, the city of Tour Eiffel, Notre Dame de Paris, Champs Elysée and the Louvre. However it only a small part of that magnificence with which the city pleases each visitor. Paris has a thousand-year history and has managed to collect a really huge collection of masterpieces of open-air architecture. And among numerous monuments medieval (and not only) architecture numerous palace complexes are allocated; once they belonged to the monarchical family or rich representatives of the nobility. And if to speak directly about the Parisian palaces it is necessary to mention Palais Bourbon.

Palais Bourbon … The mentioning of this name obviously follows one of the well-known royal families of the Bourbons that it has a direct bearing; the history of their reign of its representatives was seriously reflected on development of France. And the unique historical paradox of the palace lies in the fact that it was the residence of kings of France, and after Revolution it became the place where Democracy was born – the Parliament which is called here the French National Assembly.

But we will return to history. According to historical documents in 1722 marquise de Montespan – Louise-Françoise de Bourbon (in addition the illegitimate daughter of King Louis XIV) has ordered to begin building luxurious apartments and magnificent gardens near to them. As a result, the palace has been constructed in 1728 in remarkable Parisian suburb Saint-Germain near to other palace known nowadays as Matignon, and from the very beginning of the existence became an ornament of the capital city and a place of strolls for inquisitive city visitors. The gardens surrounding the magnificent palace went down to the coast of the main river of Paris the Seine. The palace  has received the name of its first proprietress.

In building of the nowadays monument of architecture such well-known architects of that time as L’Assurance, Jacques Gabriel and Lorenzo Giardini took active part. Initially facade of the building executed on similarity of Versailles Grand Trianon, was facing the University street (today –the Seine quay).

The follower who has entered the property rights was a grandson of the duchess who has decided to give even more luxury and glamour to the palace. The works on reconstruction were conducted throughout many years; however, as it often happens in human life, it was not fated to take pleasure in beauty of the palace for him. There was a Revolution, and Louis Joseph, Prince of Condé had to leave his native land very quickly simply to save his life.

This is how the palace of Bourbons’ residence happened to become the residence of the elected representatives of the people forming National Assembly of the French Republic.

Today the palace causes a great interest in thousand of tourists annually coming to Paris.

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