France

PARIS

Paris is the capital of France and has about 2 million residents. It is divided into 20 sub-districts ( Arrondissements ). They pervade Paris spiral from the inside to outward. This Arrondissements of Paris are:
1. Louvre, 2. Bourse, 3. Temple, 4. L H tel de Ville, 5. Panth on, 6. Luxembourg, 7. Palais Bourbon, 8. L Elys e, 9. L Op ra, 10. L Entrep t, 11. Popincourt, 12. Reuilly, 13. Tapestry, 14. L Observatoire, 15. Vaugirard, 16. Passy, 17. Batignolles Monceaux, 18. Butte Montmartre, 19. Buttes-Chaumont, 20. M nilmontant.

The city is divided into two parts by the river Seine . In the north of the Seine is thus the rive droite (right bank) and in the south is the rive gauche (left bank). The north shore evolved with the times to economic part and the southern shores more to residential area. In addition, the Seine follows to the inner region of Burgundy and flows to the English Channel. Among the many bridges, the Pont Neuf bridge has a special place. The 280-meter-long New Bridge is the oldest surviving bridge in the city and in16. century, King Henry II led it build. Also, there are islands between the two banks of the Seine: the Ile de la Cit and the Ile Saint-Louis.
On the Ile de la Cit is the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris ( Virgin Mary of Paris ). This masterpiece is one of the earliest Gothic cathedrals of France. The famous and filmed by Victor Hugo novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame imputes to this wonderful cathedral. Previously, there were other smaller islands, with the time they were combined between themselves or with the banks. This is also true for the former le aux Cygnes.

Paris has two operas. The new (1983-1989), the Opera Bastille and lies in 12th Arrondissement on the Place de la Bastille. It was at the same place of the former Bastille prison was built. The world-famous French Revolution was on 14 July 1789 with the storming of the Bastille erupted. The somewhat older opera house is the Op ra Garnier (or: Palais Garnier) from the year 1775. It was the original setting for the classic opera The Phantom of the Opera . Besides opera there is performing even ballet. The opera house is the largest in the world and is located in the district Arrondissement de l Op ra.

The third big Museum of the world is the Louvre Museum (Mus e du Louvre). It is located in Paris. There are over 300,000 exhibits on an area of over 60,000 sq metres presented. Louvre is the most visited museum in the world. Here are masterpieces from the 2,500-year history of European culture. In particular, the Italian Renaissance painting, Greek and Roman antiquities collection, the French painting of the 15th to 19th Century and the Dutch painting of the 16th and 17 Century deserve attention. Paintings, such as The Mona Lisa by Da Vinci, and other painters such as Raphael, Michelangelo, Delacroix, statues, such as The Nike of Samothrace and others. In addition, there are numerous tapestries, murals, paintings and sculptures, and thousands of other valuable and impressive works of art. The huge original residence of the kings of France itself is a work of art. Similarly, it is with the Versailles Palace, it is since 1981, a World Cultural Heritage Site, and the other magnificent castles (and both museums) of Paris, and also of the whole of France.

There is much to see in Paris. Buildings and monuments, streets and parks, restaurants, cafes, cinemas and theaters, galleries, festivals, fashion, shopping, educational facilities, and much more. This romantic city also has many well-known people since the beginning of its history.