Architecture in Paris

Bon5941 The Paris of old stones and dreams

The history of Paris can be read in its stones as well as in books... A monumental condensation of styles which will not leave the attentive stroller unmoved. Antiquity left a heritage of its public baths and arenas to the city. The Middle Ages remains present with the Romanesque bell-tower of Saint-German-des-Près, and the delicacy of the Sainte Chapelle affirms the miracle of Gothic. Paris is also the Classicism of the Grand Siècle, its domes and pediments, its dream of Antiquity already touched by the Renaissance. You will be charmed by the eclecticism of the Second Empire, the thrust of Haussmann’s boulevards, and the metal architecture celebrated by the Eiffel Tower, which spearheaded Art Nouveau. Art Deco did not lag far behind, and its modernity heralded the future concrete-and-glass emblems of a city in constant renewal.

Art Nouveau

Meuble-guimardFrom the 1880s to 1914 an international artistic current developed under the name of Art Nouveau or Modern Style. 1900 marked the height of this art which characterised the Belle Epoque. Forms inspired by Nature (plants, animals...), curves and arabesques all distinguished this original, colourful and richly decorated architecture. It proliferated in stone, metal, glass or ceramic.

The buildings of the Rue La Fontaine, close to the former village of Passy, or the “noodle” style of the metro entrances designed by Hector Guimard, are as famous as the floral decors of the magnificent stained glass in the department Porte-dauphine82_110stores. The expansion of Art Nouveau was accompanied by technical prowess linked to advances in metal construction: the Eiffel Tower sprang up to the height of 300 metres in 1889, and the Alexandre III Bridge straddled the Seine with a single arch in 1900.

Preceding article  |  7 / 9  |  Next article