BIENVENUE!
We are happy to welcome Flat Stanley to Paris!
Paris is the captial of France, and is located on the river Seine. Paris has a population of over 2 million and hosts around 45 million tourists a year! The city started as a small Roman settlement in 52 BC on the small island, Ile de la Cité, found between the banks of the Seine. By the 5th century, Paris was under rule of the German Franks, and Clovis I became the first king of Paris, uniting all the separate tribes.
During the reign of Napoleon in the 19th century, Paris started to develop into the city it is today. Small alleys were cleared into large boulevards, and Haussman style buildings with uniform height, as well as many parks, were constructed. Paris is divided into 20 neighborhoods, or arrondissements, which you can see on the map below! Starting in the center with the 1st, the numbers circle upwards. KidsCreate is located in the 17th arrondissement, just above Parc Monceau and to the left of Montmartre on the map!
Paris is famous for many landmarks and museums, but below we described some of the most famous places – ones that Flat Stanley may have visited with us! We had a great time showing him what a beautiful city we live in!
Tour Eiffel (The Eiffel Tower)
Le Tour Eiffel was designed by Gustave Eiffel and was built in 1889 as part of the World Fair. It is one of the most recognizable monuments in the world and draws almost. It was first constructed under the agreement that it would be dismantled after 20 years, and has always been controversial and considered by many Parisian artists to be an eyesore. However, the tower proved to be valuable for communication purposes and currently broadcasts many radio and television signals. It is also home to two restaurants, and is visited by millions of tourists every year. Le Tour Eiffel is located in the Champs de Mars park in the 7eme arrondissement of Paris.
Notre Dame Cathedral
Meaning “Our Lady” in French, Notre Dame is a gothic-style Cathedral and one of the first to use flying buttress as a support system. Construction started in 1163 and the cathedral was not fully completed until 1345. In the 19th century, it underwent a restoration due to the destruction of some of its religious imagery during the French Revolution.
L’Arc de Triomphe
The Arc de Triomphe stands at one end of the Champs-Élysées and is dedicated to the soldiers of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic wars. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I lies beneath the arch. It also makes up part of the historical axe in Paris, where a straight line running up the Champs-Élysées links monuments such as the Louvre and its Tuileries gardens to the Arc.
Le Louvre
Found in the 1er arrondissement of Paris, the Louvre is one of the largest museums, and the most frequently visited, in the world. It covers 652,300 feet. The Louvre was built as a palace and then opened as a museum in 1793 after Louis XIV chose to live at the Palace of Versailles. Some of its most famous works are the Mona Lisa by DaVinci, the Venus de Milo and The Coronation of Napoleon by David. Arcitect I. M. Pei added the glass pyramids to the courtyard in 1989.
La Basilique du Sacré Cœur
This Roman-Catholic church is located at the top of the butte Montmartre, the highest point in Paris. The church was consecrated in 1919, and continues to be a popular tourist spot as it holds on the best views of Paris. Montmartre is a quartier right next to ours, les Batignolles!, and is also a home to many artists and always a place to people watch and hear music in Paris.
Our home: 17ème (les Batignolles)
The village of Batignolles became part of Paris in 1860 under Napoleon III and was home to many artists in the 19th century, such as Edouard Manet and poet Paul Verlaine. Manet was the head of the Groupe des Batignolles, which included artists like Renoir, Monet and Sisley. They were also often linked to Picasso, Degas and Zola. The rich café life and many small shops make it a very active quartier. The Rue de Levis, shown in the photo, is one example of a mostly pedestrian street home to many “commercants”, making it like an open market on weekends. KidsCreate is located right of the Square des Batignolles, a beautiful park for walks or playing pétanque, a French game where a metal ball is thrown as close to a wooden without it moving. The player who gets closest wins!
We hope Flat Stanley enjoyed visiting us here, and that you learn all about Paris from the pictures of his adventures!
