DK Travel : Paris : History & Culture

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Pont Alexandre III

Built for the 1900 Universal Exhibition to carry visitors over the Seine to the Grand and Petit Palais, this bridge is a superb example of the steel architecture and ornate Art Nouveau style popular at the time. Named after Alexander III of Russia, who laid the foundation stone, its decoration displays both Russian and French heraldry. The bridge creates a splendid thoroughfare from the Champs-Elysées to the Invalides.
Pont de la Concorde

The Egyptian obelisk at the centre of place de la Concorde is at its most impressive from the bridge.
Pont de l’lma

Diana, Princess of Wales, was killed in a tragic accident in the underpass here in 1997. Her unofficial monument nearby attracts thousands of visitors each year (see Liberty Flame).
Pont d’Iéna

There is no bad approach to the Eiffel Tower, but the best is from the Trocadéro direction, walking straight to the tower across the Pont d’Iéna.
Pont Neuf

An incongruous name (New Bridge) for the oldest surviving bridge in Paris. Following its completion in 1607, Henri IV christened it by charging across on his steed; the bronze equestrian statue of the king was melted down during the Revolution but replaced in 1818. The city’s first pedestrian bridge was unique for its time in that it had no houses built upon it. The bridge has 12 arches and a span of 275 m (912 ft) extending both sides of the island.
Quai de la Tournelle

From this riverbank, just before the Pont de l’rchevêché there are lovely views across to Notre-Dame. The main attraction of this and the adjacent Quai de Montebello, however, are the dark-green stalls of the bouquinistes (see Bouquinistes). The Pont de la Tournelle also offers splendid views up and down the Seine.
Queen’s Bedroom

In this ornate room filled with white-and-gold woodwork, the queens of France gave birth to their children in public view: 19 royal infants were born here.
Raoul Dufy

The painter Dufy (1877–1953) lived at Villa Guelma on the boulevard de Clichy from 1911 to 1953, when he was at the height of his career.
Roman Era

A marketplace was first established on the Right Bank of the Seine in a place then called Les Champeaux.
Roman Settlement

The Romans conquered the Parisii in 52 BC and destroyed their city. After rebuilding it as their administrative centre, they founded their own town on the Left Bank. The baths in the Hôtel de Cluny (see Musée National du Moyen-Age) and the amphitheatre in rue Monge are the only remains. In AD 360 the Roman prefect was declared emperor and Lutetia was renamed Paris, after its original inhabitants.