Paris, Banks of the Seine

Home , Concorde (Paris Métro), The Marais

Paris, banks of the Seine

19 World Heritage Cities

Brief description Criteria Criterion (i) Following the Seine from the Louvre to the The banks of the Seine are studded with a succession of masterpieces, Eiffel Tower, and from the Place de la Concorde notably Notre-Dame and the Sainte-Chapelle, the Louvre, the Palais de l’Institut (formerly to the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais, it is the Collège des Quatre-Nations), Les Invalides, the Place de la Concorde, the Ecole Militaire, possible to see the history of Paris unfold. A La Monnaie, the Grand Palais of the Champs-Elysées, and the Eiffel Tower. Linked by one of large number of the main monuments of the the most majestic river landscapes of the world, these buildings provide a perfect illustration French capital were built along the river, or at of architectural and decorative styles covering a period of nearly eight centuries. its vantage points. The spires of the Cathedral Criterion (ii) of Notre-Dame and the Sainte-Chapelle, which Some edifi ces on the banks of the Seine, such as Notre-Dame and the are masterpieces of mediaeval architecture, Sainte-Chapelle, were important references in the spread of Gothic architecture, while the are refl ected in the river. The great buildings of Place de la Concorde and the lay-out and view of Les Invalides have infl uenced the urban French classicism – the Louvre, the Invalides, development of many modern-day European capitals. Haussmann’s urban plan in the west the Military School and the Mint – are also of the city inspired the construction of large cities in the New World, particularly in Latin linked to the river, as are the edifi ces built America. Finally, the Eiffel Tower, the Grand and the Petit Palais and the Palais de Chaillot for the 19th and 20th-century Universal are remarkable witnesses of the great universal exhibitions which were of such importance Exhibitions, notably the Eiffel Tower, icon of in the spread of technological progress in the 19th and 20th centuries. metal architecture in Paris and the world. The Criterion (iv) large squares and boulevards constructed by The Marais and the Île Saint-Louis offer harmonious architectural and urban Haussmann during the reign of Napoleon III ensembles, with very signifi cant examples of 17th and 18th-century Paris architecture (for have infl uenced urban design worldwide. example, the Hôtel Lauzun and Hôtel Lambert in the Île Sant-Louis), Quai Malaquais and Quai Voltaire.

UK Year of inscription: 1991 Selection criteria: (i)(ii)(iv) Surface area: 365 ha Location: Département / Region of Ile de France

Coordinates: United Nations Paris, banks of the Seine N48 51 30 E2 17 39 Educational, Scientific and inscribed on the World Cultural Organization Heritage List in 1991