Ile de France Paris Bonjour, my name is Juliette. Follow me on a tour of Paris and the Ile de France region! Parc de la Villette WITH ABOUT 350,000 square miles, France is the largest coun- try in Western Europe, and roughly the size of Texas. In 2003, its population reached 62 million, Place de la Concorde of which about 12 million live in Cimetière du or around the capital, Paris. Père Lachaise Champs Ile de France also includes several de Mars la Cité overseas territories: Guadeloupe Place de and Martinique in the Caribbean; la Nation French Guiana just north of Brazil; Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean; French Polynesia, Parc des New Caledonia, and Wallis and Expositions Futuna in the Pacific Ocean; and the Antarctic territories. Since the European Union's inception, some 50 years ago, France has been at the forefront of the construction of a strong and Giverny Parisis Pontoise integrated Europe. The European Val-d’Oise Union remains one of France's top Parc Astérix foreign policy priorities. As one of Auvers-sur-Oise Charles de Seine-Saint Gaulle airport the five permanent members of Denis the United Nations' Security St-Germain-en-Laye Saint- Council, and the fourth highest Denis contributor to the U.N. budget, Hauts-de-La Défense Seine Disneyland Paris France is deeply involved in all sig- Versailles nificant international affairs. Montfort l’Amaury France Vincennes But France is also a country Miniature Rungis Seine-et-Marne where people are strongly Yvelines Val de Marne attached to their regional roots. Evry This brochure will help you Vaux-le-Vicomte understand the deep ties the Melun French continue to have with Essonne their native regions. This brochure belongs to a series of six: the Northeast, the Fontainebleau Northwest, the Southeast, the Southwest, Ile-de-France, and the overseas territories. Brochures are available on request, by writ- ing to [email protected]. How Paris Came to Be GAULS OF THE PARISII tribe first settled in the area that would Parisians stormed the Bastille in 1789, sparking the French become the City of Light in 200 BC. They founded a fishing village on Revolution; they also contributed to the subsequent French revolutions what is now the Ile de la Cité. Conquered by the Romans under Julius of 1830 and 1848. With stability restored under Napoleon III, Paris Caesar in 52 BC, it was renamed Lutetia (Marshy Place). Within the received a major face lift space of 50 years, the city grew considerably and expanded first to the from the civic planner Baron right and then to the left bank of the Seine, changing its name to Paris Haussmann, who, in the and becoming a major regional center in the process. In 508, Clovis 1850's, transformed 60 per- the Frank made Paris the capital city of the Merovingian Dynasty, cent of Paris's buildings, laid thereby marking the end of Roman rule. The Carolingian Dynasty suc- out the Bois de Boulogne, ceeded the Merovingians in the seventh century and moved the cen- and designed the elegant ter of power to the Rhine region. Paris thus temporarily lost its politi- boulevards for which the city cal significance and fell prey to several sieges by Norse Vikings. Boulevard Haussmann is so well known. Following the death of the During the Franco-Prussian war of 1871, Paris lay under siege last Carolingian king, feudal lords for four months until it finally fell. When the Prussian troops with- elected the Count of Paris, Hugh drew, 92 skilled workers, professionals, and political activists formed Capet, as the King of France in the Communal Council and established the short-lived Paris 987. He founded the Capetian Commune. This socialist government ruled Paris for three months dynasty and reestablished Paris during the spring of 1871, before national government forces as the capital of France. The retook control of the city. Capetian monarchs built them- The turn of the 20th century, coined La Belle Époque, Notre Dame Cathedral, built 1163-1285 selves a palace on the Ile de la brought a thriving artistic, cultural and social scene to Paris, with Cité and oversaw a period of growth and expansion throughout the the Impressionists exhibiting their paint- twelfth and thirteenth centuries during which Paris acquired paved ings in the Salon des Refusés and the roads, schools and churches (including the Notre Dame Cathedral), emerging bourgeoisie dancing their and became a thriving trade and intellectual nucleus. evenings away in the new sultry night clubs Despite Paris's prosperity, of Montmartre. Paris became the interna- however, there was growing tional center of entertainment and fashion discontent among the people, —performers such as Jane Avril drew large leading the king, Charles V to crowds and fashion guru Coco Chanel abandon the palace on Ile de la opened her first millinery shop. In 1895, Moulin Rouge - La Goulue Cité so as to secure himself the Lumière brothers developed the by Toulouse-Lautrec within the fortress of the portable movie camera, bringing the earliest movies to Parisian Louvre in 1358. audiences. Meanwhile Art Nouveau was developing and authors The Louvre, a Parisian landmark since its con- After the English occupa- struction as a fortress in 1180, served as a such as Flaubert and Zola were writing their pivotal works. tion and its ensuing period of royal palace before becoming the world’s Another wave of additions and transitions took place most celebrated art museum. The glass pyra- hardship during the Hundred mid, designed by IMPei, was added in 1989. throughout the 1980's. Under President Mitterrand's direction, Years' War (1337-1453), a war an ambitious building program designed to meet the needs of a which was finally won by France, Francis I reconstructed the Louvre as modern city was imple- SOME KEYDATES the royal palace. But soon after, the Reformation led to a religious civil mented. This program includ- 1253- Sorbonne University is founded war between Catholics and Protestants, leaving the country in ruins. edthe Défense Arch, the 1517- Leonardo da Vinci arrives in Under Louis XIII, the capital regained its grandeur as new neighbor- Bastille Opéra, a renova- France with the Mona Lisa hoods arose and the royal press and French Academy were established. tionof the Louvre, the La 1604- Le Pont Neuf, Paris’s oldest ILE DE FRANCE Villette complex, and the bridge, is completed Bibliothèque de France, a Ile-de-France comprises the territory ruled by Hugh Capet when he 1682- Louis XIV, the Sun King, installs computer-age library. became King of France in 987. Enveloping Paris, it is an inland penin- his court at Versailles sula delineated by the rivers Seine, Oise, Ourcq, and Marne. Its cen- As illustrated by her eclectic architecture built 1789- Storming of the Bastille: trality and history as France's center of power makeIle-de-France the The French Revolution Begins most celebrated (and populous) part of the country. Numerous over the course of 800 years, chateaux allude to its history as the royal heartland where rulers lived Paris in the 21st century 1804- Coronation of Napoleon in grand palaces, including Versailles, Saint-Germain-en-Laye (which retains a rich historical lega- 1889- The Eiffel Tower is erected housed the kings from Francois I to Louis XIV), Malmaison and cy, yet continues to look for- 1900- Paris opens its first metro line Fontainebleu (Napoleon's residence and hunting grounds respective- ward, thus striking a balance 1920- The Unknown Soldier is buried ly,) and Vaux-le-Vicomte. Rich in art and architecture, Ile-de-France between old-world charm under the Arc de Triomphe attracts visitors from around the world. and avant-gardism. 1989- The Louvre Pyramid is built Geography: Inspiring Landscapes THE ILE-DE-FRANCE REGION, composed of eight depart- the number one river port of France. Narrowed between high ments (Paris, Seine-et-Marne, Yvelines, Essonne, Hauts-de- stone embankments in the capital city, the river carries commercial Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, Val-de-Marne and Val-d'Oise), encir- barges, waterbuses and large tourist boats (bâteaux-mouches). cles the Paris land From the water you can see fine views of basin, which covers the Cathedral of Notre Dame, the Louvre, over a fourth of the the Musée d'Orsay, the Conciergerie and region's surface. This the Eiffel Tower. The northern side of the sedimentary basin is river is described as the Right Bank (Rive a vast, saucer-shaped Droite) and the southern side as the Left depression, covering Bank (Rive Gauche), because when one about 39,000 square faces the direction of the river’s flow, the miles and is com- north side is on one's right, and the south posed of alternating on one's left. Combine harvester (Seine-et-Marne) layers of hard and Bâteau-mouche on the Seine The water soft rock that create a varied relief. Climatic and river erosion of the Seine is a very important molded the landscape into the plateaus, plains, hillocks and val- resource. Electric power stations, ther- leys found there today. The diverse nature of the land allows for mal and nuclear, draw their cooling the alternation of field crops (in the plains), mixed-farming and water from the river. Half the water truck farming (in the valleys), making its agriculture very pro- used in the Paris region, both for indus- ductive, especially for sugar beets and wheat. try and for consumption, and three The region's quarters of the water used in the area LANDSCAPESTHATINSPIRED ARTISTS temperate climate is between Rouen and Le Havre, is taken subject to both from the river.