Paris is a city of romance and love, a paradise for travelers in love and the focus of all French culture. The French capital is known all over the world for its attractions: the Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Champs Elysees. This city is more than two millennia, during which it has changed, developed and improved, becoming one of the most beautiful settlements in the world.
History of Paris
In the III century BC, on the territory of modern Paris, the Celtic tribe of the Parisians founded a small settlement called Lutetia. The center of the town was the Ile de la Cité, which today is located in the central part of the French capital. Later, the Romans conquered the city, built it up with new villas, roads and aqueducts and named it after the inhabitants who lived here earlier. In the Middle Ages, the city had to endure many raids, in the 9th century it was attacked by the Normans. During the Hundred Years War between France and England, Paris was occupied by enemy troops for about sixteen years.
In the 15th century, the city lost its capital significance, this title passed to Tur. A century later, Paris became the capital again, now forever. Now it was the center of religious wars - the era of the Reformation began. In 1572, the famous St. Bartholomew's Night took place here, during which several thousand people died. During the time of Napoleon, the capital of France was rebuilt and retained its layout to our time. The city had a difficult time during the Second World War, when German troops were stationed on its streets and squares. In August 1944, the fascist occupation was lifted. After the riots of 1968, no major and unpleasant events happened in Paris.
Location of Paris
The city began to be built from the Ile de la Cité, which is located on the Seine in northern France. The river, 145 kilometers from the English Channel, winds strongly along the plain, and on both sides of it there are Parisian quarters. Paris occupies a fairly large part of the Ile-de-France historical region. Its area is more than one hundred square kilometers: this is a small figure for the capital, the whole city can be walked from east to west in a couple of hours.
There are several more islands on the Seine, also built up by quarters of Paris. The city is divided into two parts: left and right, separated by a river. The first is where the cultural life is concentrated: there are museums, historical sites, universities. The city's business districts are located on the right bank.
One of the significant drawbacks of Paris, like any major capital, is its poor environment. Despite the small area of the city, it is very densely populated, which affects the quality of the air and the level of other types of pollution, such as noise.
Modern paris
More than ten million people live in Paris, if you count the suburbs and surrounding settlements. Today it is one of the most visited cities in the world: every year an equally impressive number of tourists come to the French capital to admire the famous Eiffel Tower, see the Louvre collections, walk along the Champs Elysees and enjoy the views of the Seine River. Outside the city, there is an equally well-known landmark - the Versailles palace and park complex.
