History of Paris (ePub)

Paris abounds in the history of more than 2,000 years old
legacy of wars, enriched culture and high-class literature with
poetry, prose, drama and world-class architectural designs to
amaze the world. The Gauls of the Parisii tribe settled here in
Paris around 250 and 200 B.C. They went on to find a fishing
village on an island situated in the river which is the "Ile de la
Cite" of the present day. This was the main center around
which the entire city of Paris was built and structured.
Paris was known as "Lutetia" (Lutece) in the medieval times
and was occupied by Julius Caesar in 52 B.C. Paris continued
to subsist as a regional center under the influence of the
Romans during the early Middle Ages. In 987, the Count of
Paris named as Hugh Capet became the King of France.
Under his successors and clan which came to be known as
the Capetians, Paris continued to flourish as the national capital
city of France. The people of Paris were considered to be
rebellious and high-spirited as they went on to declare
themselves as an independent commune in 1355-58 under the
leadership of Etienne Marcel. In 1789, the storming of the
Bastille was the first in the series of actions which was
accelerated by the people of Paris and this came to be known
as the French Revolution. During the years 1830 and 1848,
Paris played a major role in the French Revolution as it
became the center of all prime activities which took place on
the social, economic, political domains of the revolutionary
period.
In 1871, the capital city of France witnessed an oncoming war
known as the Franco-Prussian War under the influence of
which the city was encircled and besieged unless France
surrendered after four months. It was only after the withdrawal
of the German troops that the French radicals began to
establish the Commune of Paris. The Germans were prevented
from entering Paris during the World War I. However, they did
manage to occupy the city during the World War II during the
period of 1940 to 1944. Paris again became the center spot for
violence as it also witnessed the student's riots of 1968.
The Paris we see today is the fashion hub of the world and
the most romantic city in the world. Paris today maintains its
charm, character, and importance in the real world. Its physical
appearance has been transformed by mega-structures like
Beaubourg and several other grand projects including reforming
the city into architectural perfection under the presidency of
Mitterrand. In addition to the Bastille Opera and the La
Defense arch, the projects of Mitterrand included te renovations
of the Louvre by the architect named I.M Pei. Many more
projects undertaken by him to renovate the entire capital city
were in the southeast region, the La Villette complex which was
located in the northeastern province of the city, a great
computer-era library, the Bibliotheque de France and much
more.
The history of Paris also abounds in the excellent town
planning of which it boasts in the world even today. Planning
of the city of Paris and the Paris Basin region included the
consideration of large areas of land around the Seine River
valley all the way to the mouth of the River. As the history of
Paris made its way into modernization, Paris witnessed building
up of new parks, lanes, towns, industrial locations and many
more displays of architectural excellence on both sides of the
River Seine.