bronze fountains on either side ; 

 eight large statues symbolic of the 

 great French cities surround the 

 Place, and the Tuileries and 

 Champs Elysees stretch to east and 

 west. 



These two gardens are the 

 creation of Louis XIV, who was 

 also responsible for the Invalides, 

 the Colonnade of the Louvre, the 

 Observatory, the Gobelins, the 

 arches of St. Denis and St. Martin, 

 and various boulevards and quays. 

 The Place Venddme, with its bronze 

 column recording the achieve- 

 ments of the Grande Armee, is due 

 to Napoleon I, who also gave Paris 

 the triumphal arch on the Place du 

 Caroussel, the Arc de Triomphe, 

 the Madeleine, and the Bourse. 



But modern Paris owes much to 

 the Second Empire. Under the 

 instructions of Napoleon III, 

 Baron Haussmann, the famous 

 prefect of the Seine, swept away 

 many disfiguring portions, pierced 

 broad boulevards, and laid out 

 several fine places. The Opera, the 

 masterpiece of the architect 

 Gamier, the extension of the 

 Louvre, the central markets (lea 

 Halles Centrales), the new fagade 

 of the Palais de Justice, and, 

 among many churches, those of 

 S. Augustin and La Trinite, are 

 also works which originated during 

 this period. 



5974 



The river is spanned by thirty 

 bridges, many of remarkable 

 architectural beauty, all of modern 

 construction except, despite its 

 name, the Pont Neuf, built 1578- 

 1603, which joins the lower end of 

 the lie de la Cite with both banks. 

 The Pont Mirabeau, 1895-97, and 

 the ornate iron and stone Pont 

 Alexandre III, are among the 

 latest. Along both banks stretch 

 the quays, used for river traffic. 



On the western part of the lie 

 de la Cite stands the large Palais de 

 Justice. Fire has destroyed parts 

 at various times, and little remains 

 of the original except the Tour de 

 1'Horloge, dating from 1298. The 

 lower portion of the Palais, the 

 Conciergerie, has always been a 

 prison, and its occupants in the 

 Revolution included Marie An- 

 toinette, Danton and Robes- 

 pierre. Within the enclosure of 

 the palace stands the 13th century 

 Sainte Chapelle. 



On the eastern end of the island 

 stands the great cathedral of 

 Notre Dame, and close by, on the 

 right bank of the river, is the large 

 modern Hotel de Ville, which 

 stands on the site of all its pre- 

 decessors since 1357. The 16th 

 century building was burnt down 

 by the Communards, 1871, the 

 present building being built be- 

 tween 1874-82. Mural paintings 



PARIS 



and sculptures, notably the paint- 

 ings of Puvis de Chavannes. 

 decorate many of its handsome 

 apartments and staircases. 



The government buildings are 

 chiefly on the left bank. The 

 Chamber of Deputies, or the 

 Palais Bourbon, was begun in 1722, 

 and its present fagade, a Greek 

 temple with Corinthian colonnade, 

 was added in 1807. The Chamber 

 is semi-circular in form, with 

 rising seats and galleries. The 

 Senate sits in the Palais du Luxem- 

 bourg. The ministry of foreign 

 affairs is on the Quai d'Orsay. 



The public gardens and parks of 

 Paris are finely designed. Those 

 in the heart of the city include 

 the Luxembourg gardens, the 

 Pare Monceau, the Jardin des 

 Plantes, the Pare Montsouris, con- 

 taining the meteorological obser- 

 vatory, and the Buttes-Chaumont, 

 covering nearly 78 acres, the Pare 

 du Champ de Mars, and the gar- 

 dens of the Trocadero. Outside 

 the fortifications, but practically 

 part of Paris, are the Bois de 

 Boulogne and the Bois de Vin- 

 cennes. The former covers an area 

 of 2.158 acres, and includes the 

 popular racecourses of Long- 

 champs and Auteuil. 



Paris is the capital of the arts. 

 Its picture galleries and museums 

 are among the most important in 



Paris. Map of the city and its environs, showing the network of railways which connect the business centre 



with the suburbs 



