Paris living room for the whole world architecture. Paris: modern architecture

It was difficult to find in the 20th century a more traditional Frenchman and Parisian, who maintained absolutely conservative habits and admired the history of his country and its architectural monuments, than General Charles de Gaulle. When he came to power for the second time in 1958, one of the first things he did to improve his residence was to rebuild a pavilion in the garden for a chapel where the head of state and his relatives could attend daily mass. And at the same time, it is no less difficult to name a person, to the same extent as Charles de Gaulle, who is ready for the most daring and unexpected actions for the sake of the greatness of France, not only in politics, but also in architecture. Charles de Gaulle idolized the history of Paris, but it was he, as President of France, who initiated the so-called “grand projects”, thanks to which the modern architecture of Paris underwent significant changes. The largest one was built in his honor.

His example was followed by his successors - presidents Georges Pompidou, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, and especially actively - Francois Mitterrand. Each of the presidents of the second half of the twentieth century, following de Gaulle, sought to leave a monumental mark on the architecture of Paris - to enter into a dialogue with history and ensure a memory of themselves that changes in political fashion could not eradicate. The first of the "great projects" was created on the initiative of de Gaulle. This was done on a grand scale, with special tact, and with the use of significant historical symbols. For the huge complex, which was destined to become the new business center of Paris, which was suffocating from the lack of office and commercial buildings, they chose a place that was officially outside the city boundaries, beyond the Seine, on its left bank.

Here it was planned to build a “Parisian Manhattan” with skyscrapers that were supposed to surpass the American ones. In any case, de Gaulle wanted to create a visible symbol of a prosperous great power. And at the same time, La Défense became flesh and blood of Paris. It was built exactly on the continuation of the main urban axis of the city, passing through the Louvre, Place de la Carousel, Avenue des Champs-Élysées, Place des Stars, now renamed Place Charles de Gaulle. This median line is “readable” not only in the city plan: at sunset, at a certain moment, the sun appears in the gap of the triumphal arches on Carrousel Square and Place des Stars, glorifying the victories of France. And through the arch on Star Square you can see the silhouette of Defense skyscrapers, illuminated by the setting sun, almost symmetrically divided into two groups. According to de Gaulle, La Defense was to become not just a modern district, but rather an image of the city of the future. His dream had many utopian features, which a large group of architects (led by Bernard Zehrfuss and Robert Camelo) sought to bring to life. Here it was supposed to completely separate the “world of cars” and the “world of pedestrians”, to make most of the Defense intended only for people. In this project, one of the “great utopias” of modern architecture was realized - the creation of a completely artificial human habitat, a “second nature”, a zone of “total design”. To do this, the area was raised onto a giant multi-layer concrete platform, inside which an underground city began to rapidly develop with tunnels for highways, subways, regional express trains connecting Paris with distant suburbs and airfields, with halls for shopping malls, restaurants, and exhibition spaces. The five floors of this structure are connected by interlacing stairs, ramps and escalators. A whole sea of ​​“electronic soup” has spread underground - all kinds of lanterns, signs, luminous advertisements - moving, talking, sparkling, going out and lighting up again. Above, on the concrete surface, skyscrapers rose.

The geometrically clear volumes of the towers are encased in dark, opaque glass from the outside. They change color, reflecting the rays of the sun and clouds floating across the sky in the mirror surfaces. The artificial environment, as if entirely composed of a gigantic set of structural elements, an interweaving of steel ribs, panels, pylons, is nevertheless exposed to the influence of nature.

Due to numerous reflections on a sunny or rainy day, Defense is perceived differently. The important thing is that this area does not interfere with Paris. Its structure, “put on” the main axis of the city, continues the urban planning meaning, but does not interfere with the historical body of the French capital. A magnificent panorama of the city opens from the upper platform of the building-arch that completes the Defense, created according to the design of the Dane Johann-Otto von Spreckelsen, who won an international competition, implemented for 1989, the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution, under the leadership of Paul Andre. The name of French President Georges Pompidou is associated with the birth of a fundamentally different dialogue between old and new in Paris, although this process was largely influenced by the famous writer and politician, French Minister of Culture of that era, Andre Malraux.

Together with the president, they decided to create a Center for Contemporary Art and place it in the very heart of the city. This building went down in architectural history under the name of the Georges Pompidou Center. The winners of the international competition for the design of this structure were the Italian Renzo Piano and the British Richard Rogers, who thanks to him gained worldwide fame. They created an extremely radical image, abandoning the usual features of anyone, including those in the spirit of Gropius or Le Corbusier. Immediately after the construction of the building, Parisians nicknamed it the “oil refinery.” Having walked from the Place des Vosges, which remembers the cheerful and great King Henry IV, through the Marais quarter, which has preserved the layout and many mansions of the 17th and 18th centuries, emerging from the alley, you come across the brightly colored “back” of the building of the Center named after Georges Pompidou, consisting of intertwined pipes. The contrast is terrifying. According to all the rules of reconstruction of historical cities, the construction of such an avant-garde structure in the ancient part of the city is a crime. However, in Paris they preferred to turn a blind eye to this, because the building turned out to be talented. It was a victory over the facelessness of 1970s architecture, and winners are not judged. And indeed, the facade of the huge structure turned out to be facing the ancient houses and alleys of the Marais quarter with an unprecedentedly dense interweaving of brightly colored pipes serving for water supply, sewerage, ventilation, etc.

On the other side of the structure, a network of metal supports is brought forward, and only behind it are glass walls visible, which are cut by a zigzag tunnel of a self-propelled staircase. It would seem completely unthinkable to build something like this next to famous ancient monuments, but when you look at the Georges Pompidou Center, you forget about it. The contrast between its avant-garde forms and historical buildings is so great that comparison becomes meaningless. True, in terms of urban planning, tact was still observed, and this is very important: the new building practically does not affect the traditional silhouette of the city and is close in scale to the size of an ordinary block. But most importantly, the architects managed to create an obviously talented, fascinating, interesting object, which enriches Paris and imbues the historical “text” of the great city with extraordinary modernity. The crime against antiquity became a success, turning into one of the most striking symbols of Paris.

Ultimately, this success always depends on the quality of the architecture. The Forum des Halles shopping center, built after the Georges Pompidou Center and not far from it, turned out to be a mistake that damaged the appearance of the French capital. It was built on the site of the famous old food market - the “belly of Paris”, which existed since the Middle Ages, and in the 19th century migrated to numerous pavilions made of metal, which came into fashion after the construction of the Eiffel Tower. Having demolished all these wonderful buildings, the Forum des Halles tried to use forms of postmodernism, ostensibly in order to connect history and modernity with the help of “quotes” from the past like Gothic arches or elements of a classical regular garden. It turned out somehow empty, sluggish, “toothless.” And the past lost, and modernity, without expressing itself in a bright form, turned out to be untenable in the face of the architecture of bygone eras. With the coming to power of François Mitterrand, the situation changed. The press began to call Paris “the capital of the republic of the pharaohs,” so keen was the president on capturing the era of his reign in the forms of architecture. And the city owes this ironic name, first of all, to the famous “Pyramid” of the Louvre. The reconstruction of the Louvre was inevitable due to the development of the museum itself, the change and complexity of its functions, and the desire of the curators of the collections to show the public as much as possible (after all, in museums of such a level as the Louvre or the Hermitage, only 3-5% of the exhibits are open for viewing).

The French Ministry of Finance, which occupied almost half of the complex, was expelled from the palace, two light courtyards were blocked off, thanks to which a collection of French sculpture and archaeological finds were placed in huge squares. The main “architectural events” took place under the Louvre. Excavations were carried out to great depth, and it turned out that the foundation of the palace of the 16th–17th centuries was the lower part of the medieval castle, preserved several meters in height. Now visitors can walk around the foot of the 15th-century Louvre, previously hidden from everyone. The underground part of the museum is also located under the huge outer courtyard of the complex and Carousel Square.

There are souvenir and antique shops, a variety of cafes and restaurants, extensive technical rooms and, most importantly, a central distribution lobby, thanks to which visitors can easily access any part of the museum. The Louvre has acquired a different level of technical support and comfort for people who come to it. Above the lobby, on the surface of the ground, according to the design of the architect Yeo Minh Pei, a glass “Pyramid” with a steel frame was built, which houses the main entrance to the museum. The transparency and lightness of the “Pyramid” should have softened the contrast of its geometric surfaces and the historical forms of the old Louvre. But this doesn't happen. Regardless of which side you look at it from, the “Pyramid” concentrates the main attention on itself. It became the center and perhaps the main architectural attraction of the Louvre, eclipsing the heritage of past centuries. As in the case of the Georges Pompidou Center, this is incorrect according to all international laws for the reconstruction of historical cities and buildings. And at the same time - undoubted success. The talent of the architects and their restraint, the decision to raise only a tiny part of the new Louvre above the ground, provided the opportunity to add their work to the beauties, artistic riches and eccentricities of Paris.

The combination of the “Pyramid” and authentic monuments shows one of the possible options for the future development of new architecture in the historical environment. The end of the twentieth century also included a number of other “big projects” - the creation of the Opera on the Place de la Bastille, the Institute of the Arab World on the banks of the Seine, near the Ile de la Cité, the idea of ​​​​building a new National Library of France, completed under President Jacques Chirac. However, these buildings did not influence the appearance of Paris as significantly as La Défense, the Center Georges Pompidou and the “Pyramid” of the Louvre. Like many others, they remained simply new buildings in the ancient city, which do not enrich its appearance and do not enter into an active and principled dialogue with the past. The example of Paris in the second half of the twentieth century shows that the worst thing for a historical city is indifference towards it. The main danger does not lie in the modern architecture of Paris, even if it stands out sharply from the traditional buildings. We must not allow the high aesthetic qualities of the urban environment of past centuries to be replaced by modern cheap mediocrity. For many centuries, Paris remains one of the great artistic capitals of the world precisely because it constantly accumulates outstanding works of architecture. Today, just as in the 12th or 18th centuries, the capital of France maintains intact the tradition that ensures its eternal attractiveness and prestige - following the highest architectural fashion of each century and the concentration of masterpieces from all eras, including our time.

Paris is not just the capital of France, but also a city of fantastic beauty and grandeur, which attracts tourists from all over the world. For many of them, the words “See Paris and die” are not just an established expression, but also the real truth.

It is very simple to love Paris, it is enough just to visit there at least once, look at it, get acquainted with its atmosphere and special charm, thanks to which it has already managed to win hundreds of thousands of hearts.

Like every city, the capital of France has its own attractions, which make up a list of things to see. It is very difficult to include them all in the list, but some are worth special emphasis on. Therefore, let's get acquainted:

– a place of a kind of pilgrimage for different people of all countries and peoples, the basis of culture and spiritual significance, the zero kilometer of Paris.

World famous - Notre Dame Cathedral

Notre Dame de Paris is perhaps the most famous cathedral in the world, but that is not what makes it so popular. Majestic beauty, the most successful combination of the romantic Norman style with innovative Gothic, the height of the building (35 meters) - all this leaves few people indifferent.

With a view of the next 70 kilometers in clear weather, this is a great opportunity to discover Paris from a bird's eye view.

The symbol of Paris is the Eiffel Tower

Three open levels allow you to explore the main attraction of the capital on your own, but you can always use the services of a professional guide. And while there is usually a huge queue for the elevators, the stairs on the south side are relatively free.

Remember that the best time to visit the Eiffel Tower for viewing purposes is before sunset (an hour and a half before).

3. Louvre. This is not only an architectural monument (the palace where the French kings lived), but also the most famous museum in the world, which houses the richest collection of various exhibits.

Louvre Museum in Paris

Be prepared for the fact that it is impossible to see everything in the Louvre at once - it is huge! Set aside time for several visits, think through the inspection plan in advance, and decide what exactly you want to see first.

The museum is open from 9 am to 6 pm (closed on Tuesday).

4. Arc de Triomphe, located in the center of Star Square. The arch is not only considered the largest in the world, but also the official symbol of Paris.

It’s better to walk around the arch, look through it forward and back, you can even go up and look around. It’s worth going up, if only for the beautiful panorama of the city and to thoroughly appreciate the geometry of the Triumphal Way.

One of the thoroughfares of Paris, the name of which has very deep roots in Greek mythology (be sure to read the history of this attraction in order to understand and experience it as best as possible).

Champs Elysees in Paris

The Champs Elysees has always been the site of all kinds of military parades on July 14 and November 11 - during the holidays that strengthen the national spirit of the French. Here you can not only have a pleasant time in the company of beautiful landscapes, but also get acquainted with many shopping centers, cinemas and even the famous Lido cabaret.

Statistics say that the Champs Elysees has long been the most visited attraction in the French capital - about 500 thousand people come here every day.

6. Moulin Rouge. Now, as back in 1989, this is not just a cabaret hall, but also a real way of life for Parisians and visiting guests of the capital. People come here for the consistency with which the Moulin Rouge is presented: endless sparkles, feathers, original music and stunning scenery.

If you want to know Paris in all its beauty and with all its features, you should definitely visit this establishment, which was once visited by Oscar Wilde, Picasso, Charles Aznavour, and many other cultural figures, artists, etc.

7. Montmartre. Those who did not yet know about its existence found out after the amazing film “Amelie”. This is not just a place where the curious flock, it is the most picturesque quarter of Paris, where everything literally bursts with beauty, tenderness, freedom and endless inspiration.

Montmartre - the most picturesque quarter of Paris

Another thing is that very close to Montmartre is Place Pigalle, which spreads a reputation for debauchery and vulgarity. Here you can get acquainted with the world of endless sex shops, erotic shows and stands with pornography.

You can climb the Montmartre hill by funicular, where a regular metro ticket is valid.

8. Disneyland. Children from all over the world spend their days and nights dreaming of visiting Paris for its wonderful amusement park. Opened in 1955, it is still incredibly popular not only among young and older children, but also among their parents.

Main Street of Disneyland

The park itself is located 32 kilometers from Paris and consists of 5 parts, each of which includes many attractions, shops and restaurants. You can travel from one part of Disneyland to another using a special train. The excursion to Disneyland is designed for a full day, so catastrophic fatigue and complete satisfaction are guaranteed to every visitor!

It has a huge history, thanks to the interest in which it has become so popular among tourists. Today, in its very center you can see the July Column, which was erected here in 1831 (as a memory of the victims of the 1830 revolution).

Place de la Bastille in Paris

The last stage of construction in this place was the construction of the opera building. The theater looks like a stadium and welcomes guests both in evening dresses and in simple jeans and sweaters - this is its immediate feature.

10. And last on the list of the 10 most memorable sights of Paris are bridges. Yes, all the bridges of the capital of France without exception (and there are 38 of them).

If it were not for such a huge number of them, the residents of Paris would undoubtedly experience some problems with the waters of the Seine.

The most luxurious bridge can easily be called Alexander III Bridge, which is decorated with gilded columns, bronze lamps, all kinds of cupids and cherubs, nymphs and other winged creatures.

Is there some more Bridge of Concord, which is famous for being built from the stones of the destroyed Bastille. Nowadays it very successfully unites the left and right banks of Paris.

The Pont de la Concorde was built from the stones of the destroyed Bastille

Paris is a city that is better to see with your own eyes! And even if you don’t see everything at once, you will definitely have a desire to return and again immerse yourself in its unsurpassed atmosphere of history, culture, and architecture!

Paris is a city that is better to see with your own eyes - VIDEO

Paris is a wonderful city with many interesting and beautiful places. The Ile de la Cité, on which the world-famous medieval cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris is located, is deservedly considered the beginning of the French capital. Take a look at the most famous sights of Paris in this video.

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Galeries Lafayette is a famous department store in Paris, founded at the end of the nineteenth century. Every year, millions of shoppers visit the country's flagship store on Boulevard Haussmann, a ten-story building topped by a magnificent glass and iron dome. In December 1893, cousins ​​Théophile Bader and Alphonse Kahn opened a haberdashery store called Aux Galeries Lafayette.

Most tourists consider the Pont Alexandre III to be the most beautiful bridge in Paris. Without a doubt, this is the most luxurious bridge in the city. Built with the esplanade of the Invalides House, the bridge connects the Great and Small Palaces on the right bank with the Invalides House on the left bank.

A little-known fact is that at the top of the Eiffel Tower there is a small secret room that designer Gustave Eiffel built for himself. Even with a strong desire, you will not be able to stay there overnight, despite the presence of all the necessary amenities.

Vendôme is a prestigious square in the First Quarter of Paris. Place Vendôme was built in 1702 in honor of the victories of the army of the Sun King Louis XIV. Architect Jules Hardouin Mansart, who also worked on the Palace of Versailles, initially bought the land for the square in the hope of making money on the subsequent sale of the property.

The magnificent Petit Palais of Paris is located next to the Grand Palais, housing a rich collection of art masterpieces from antiquity to the 20th century. Opened in 2005 after 4 years of reconstruction, the Small Palace was built for the 1900 World Exhibition. Initially, the Petit Palais was planned as a temporary structure for holding a large exhibition of masterpieces of French art, but the Parisians liked it so much that it became a permanent landmark of Paris.

The Grand Palais of Paris was built for the 1900 Universal Exhibition. The building immediately became famous for its huge glass roof. Now this building houses a science museum. In 1900, Paris solemnly hosted the World Exhibition. Due to the high importance of the event, the city planned large construction projects, including the construction of the Alexander III Bridge, the Grand Palace and the similar Small Palace.

The Pantheon in Paris is an impressive 19th century structure, originally designed as a church, but then transformed into a Temple. The monument is located at the top of Montagne Sainte-Geneviève, near the Sorbonne University and the Luxembourg Gardens. The Pantheon building overlooks the Latin Quarter of Paris. Back in 507, this place was chosen by the first king of the Franks, Clovis, to build a basilica, which was to serve as a tomb for him and his wife Clotilde. In 512, Saint Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris, was buried here.

The Baroque trend in the architecture of Paris can be traced throughout almost the entire 17th century in such remarkable buildings that had city-forming significance as the Sorbonne Church,

Institute of France on the Seine,

hospital church of Val-de-Grâce and,

finally, a temple in the ensemble of the House of Invalids.

The interior design of these buildings is very interesting, some of the stylistic features of which have been adopted in modern buildings and apartments.

A number of domed buildings in Paris reveal the temples of Saint-Joseph-de-Carmes (1613-1620)

and Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis (1626-1641).

These are the first famous buildings in Paris with pronounced features of the Roman Baroque. The Church of Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis is located not far from the Places des Vosges and the Place de la Bastille. It was built according to the type of the Roman Jesuit temple of Il Gesu. Churches of this type were intensively planted by the Jesuit order in Western European cities - Krakow, Lviv, Wurzburg and others, including Paris. Just like the Roman temple, the Church of Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis is characterized by a plan in the shape of a Latin cross, with a transept and a main two-tier high facade, which plays the role of a decorative wall rather than an organic design of the western end of the temple body. According to the tradition of the order, sculpture and painting are widely used in the architecture of this church in synthesis.

The architecture of the Sorbonne Church also shows clear influence from the Jesuit church of Il Gesù. However, the overall composition and the high two-tiered main façade are not a literal repetition of the Roman original, but a free interpretation of it. Due to the fact that in the Sorbonne Church the dome follows immediately after the portal of the main facade, it decisively influences the construction of the silhouette, compact and lively in its outline.

There is no doubt that both churches influenced the other domed buildings created after them in the Baroque style, primarily the chapel of the Mazarin College, now the Institute of France. The initiative to build this building belonged to G. Mazarin, who bequeathed a large sum of money and his library.

The design of the college building was developed by the architect Louis Levo. It was built in 1663-1688 on a site where in the Middle Ages on the river bank the fortress walls ended with the Nel Tower. On the axis of the new large college building with courtyards, on the river side, Levo designed a single-dome chapel.

The chapel with the wings of the college on the embankment is the most interesting part of the complex, since here the features of the Baroque style were brightly, but at the same time restrained, expressed only in the arched composition of the facades. The dome, dissected by external ribs, is proudly elevated on a high vestibule and, together with a rather strict portico, emphasizes the axis of the symmetrical composition that forms the development of the embankment and its slight widening. For the three hundredth anniversary of the foundation of the building (by 1962), the chapel was carefully restored and serves as the assembly hall of the French Academy of Sciences. The chief architect of the academic building, Andre Hutton, not only ensured the scientific purity of the restoration, but also created the possibility of unusually effective artificial lighting of the interior, providing the best possible revelation of its internal decorative plasticity by chiaroscuro.

If you look at Paris from a bird's eye view, you can see how well thought out every part of the city is. Architecture of Paris, a true symbol of Europe, is replete with its diversity, which is intertwined into one luxurious architectural bouquet.

Palaces of Paris

The palaces of Paris are the architectural part of the capital of France that made Paris Paris, bringing royal scope and royal luxury to the city. Palace of Justice (Concierge), located on the Ile de la Cité, is the center of legislation in Paris. For a long time, this place served as a royal prison at the castle of the kings of France. Therefore, even today, the Palace of Justice reminds everyone of the justice that awaits all violators of the law. The palace occupies a good half of the island, and the construction of its main buildings dates from the 13th to the 20th centuries.

Elysee Palace in Paris is known for the ubiquitous luxury that filled the palace halls and its surrounding area. This is the real heart of Paris, on par with the Eiffel Tower. Now, the Elysee Palace is the center of all of France - the place where the country's president receives all important guests and holds the most important international meetings. The palace is complemented by the majestic Champs Elysees.

Bourbon Palace– this small palace became the center of political life in France. It is in this palace that the French National Assembly meets. The Bourbon Palace is located on the banks of the Seine, and at night the palace building looks very beautiful thanks to the illumination and reflection of the light from the water. The palace is distinguished by exquisite interior decorations, the manufacture of which dates back to the 19th century.

Palais Royal– a true pearl of Paris, a palace with beautiful facades and a luxurious park. This luxurious palace served as the home of Cardinal Richelieu himself, the most famous Secretary of State of France. The palace is located directly opposite the Louvre itself and fits perfectly into the luxurious palace bouquet of Paris.

The Tuileries is a huge palace complex that includes the Louvre. Exactly Tuileries is the heart of the cultural life not only of Paris, but of all of France. Also, it is worth noting other famous palaces of Paris of state and social importance - the Luxembourg Palace, the Matignon Palace, the Palace of the Legion of Honor, the Brongniard Palace, the Garnier Palace, the Chaillot Palace, the Grand Palace and the Bercy Palace of Sports.

Arches of Paris

Another part of the urban architecture of Paris are its arches.

The most famous of them is Triumphal Arch, located on Place Charles De Gaulle. The antique style of the arch is topped with many sculptural compositions and is part of the heart of Paris. The compositions depict the great figures of France and the most famous battles that influenced the fate of the country. The arch contains on its walls engravings of all the armies and generals who achieved victories.

Arch of Defense- This is part of modern architectural thought in the capital of France. The huge arch, made of concrete and metal structures, has a height of 110 meters, towering over the buildings of the suburb in the La Défense district. Various exhibitions and political congresses are regularly held inside the arch.

The Porte Saint-Denis is one of the most significant and beautiful city arches for Paris. The arch was built in the classicist style and has a height of 25 meters. Gate of Saint Denis were built in 1672, but were completely destroyed. This arch was completely restored in 1988.

There is so much in this name for world architecture! Eiffel Tower became not only a symbol of France, but also a symbol of the strength and steadfastness of the human spirit. Its construction was very difficult, with many delays and problems encountered. But all of them were solved with the help of the brilliant mind of engineers and designer Gustave Eiffel, who managed to bring his great idea to life. Now, from a height (324 meters) of the Eiffel Tower you can observe almost all of Paris, and the image of the tower is known to every educated person on our planet!

Modern architecture of Paris

Nowadays, Paris is better known as a city with a royal scope and a palace heart, but modern architectural thought also has a place in Paris. The first building to impress with its modernity was Montparnasse Tower, standing out against the background of the low buildings surrounding it. The tower is 210 meters high and offers the best view in Paris. The city residents themselves do not really like this building, calling it ugly and does not fit into the luxury of Parisian architecture.

The center of modern architecture in Paris is the already mentioned Defense district. The area is actively being built with modern residential complexes with the most advanced eco-technologies. It is Defense that is currently one of the most advanced residential areas in the world. At the same time, its construction is by no means completed, and every year, the architecture of the capital of France is replenished with new, luxurious buildings!