Places to visit in Paris
Picasso Museum and sunset on the boardwalk
It was a brightful day. We walked through the squares and parks of old mansions, visited the Picasso Museum, the art galleries, had lunch at the Place des Vosges, visited the Place de la Bastille and completed the walk by the princely and quiet boardwalk of the River Seine, where live swans and peace reigns.
This is the former Garden of the Hotel Donon, built in 1575 for Mederic Donon, General Controller of the King's Buildings. Established in 1990 and rehabilitated in 2010, it pays tribute to Lazare Rachline, known as "Lucien Rachet" or "Socrates", a significant member of the Resistance. Born in Russia, he was the co-founder of the League against Racism and Antisemitism and died in Paris in 1968. It is very quiet here, the small French garden is very well maintained.
Square Georges Cain on Rue Payenne was established in 1923. It is bordered to the north and east by the Carnavalet Museum. Built at the site of the extensive thirteenth-century market gardens known as Sainte-Catherine culture, owned by the canons of Sainte-Catherine-du-Val-des-Écoliers, the garden has been open to the public since 1931. Two artworks give the square a unique look. The first one is called ‘L'Aurore’. It is a bronze statue of a nude woman in the middle of a rose bed was created by a sculptor Laurent Magnier back in 17th century. The second one, ‘Le Rossignol Electrique’ by Eric Samakh (1990), is a small electronic bird that sings whenever the wind blows. (Based on Wikipedia).
The hotel was built around the early seventeenth century. It is the work of Claude Chastillon (1559-1616) architect, engineer and royal topographer of Henry IV and Louis XIII. This man of Art was also the "personal reporter" of King Henry IV. On the initiative of the good King Henry, he participated alongside the architect Jacques II Andouet du Cerceau in the designing of the Place Royale, current Place des Vosges. Having received a parcel from the king in the square, Claude Chastillon built his own hotel at number 10. The facades and roofs are classified as historical monuments in 1920; the staircase is inscribed in 1953; the vaulted gallery is classified in 1958. (Based on Wikipedia)
A dog lay in this yard. She shined in the rays of the autumn sun. A very old and good-looking Frenchwoman was selling cashmere and silk products in a store that called itself a gallery. She said she was selling the entire store at a bargain price. I do not know if it was always that way, maybe only on that pleasant day, but it felt like this store, cashmere, the old woman and the store will stay like that forever. And it became warm. Maybe even the dog also felt this and did not want to go anywhere. People walked around her, she did not move. Everything was quiet, sweet, calm. But, we aimed to reach the Picasso museum.
The Salé Hotel, which is best known as Aubert de Fontenay Hotel, was described by historian Bruno Foucart in 1985 as "the largest, the most extraordinary, if not the most flamboyant of the big houses Paris XVII century". It was built for Pierre Aubert, M. de Fontenay - collector of taxes on salt. The hotel was built by same ambitious architect Vaux-le-Vicomte Nicolas Fouquet. Aubert made his fortune in 1630-1640 from various sources including a beneficial marriage, becoming a major merchant in Paris and the King's financial adviser and secretary. Pierre Aubert strengthened his position by increasing the salt tax for the King. Because of it, his home quickly became known as the Salty Hotel ("salty" I mean salty in French). The beautiful house, a prestigious building full of character has passed through many hands and in 1974 it turned into a museum dedicated to the life and work of Picasso.
Without a doubt, Picasso is a great artist. I now this, but I've got tired of pictures. Each fragment, every detail is an art, but I do not keep up interest about the full picture. Never the less Wikipedia tells that the collection in the Musée Picasso-Paris includes a lot of works that show the diversity of artistic techniques.
I was impressed not by the pictures, but by the story of the museum. Picasso stayed in the city during the Nazi occupation of Paris. One day, German soldiers came to him and the officer learned how the great artist was doing. The Germans did not really like Picasso because of his paintings about Guernica. This picture tells of the death of a large number of civilians during the Spanish war. German aviation bombed the city. Just on the table lay a postcard with a reproduction of this picture. The German officer looked at it and asked: "Did you do it?" Picasso did not hesitate to answer: "No, you did it".
A French actress Juliette Drouet, born Julienne Josephine Gauvain (10 April 1806 – 11 May 1883) lived at this house. She abandoned her career on the stage after becoming the mistress of Victor Hugo, to whom she acted as a secretary and a traveling companion. Juliette accompanied Hugo in his exile to the Channel Islands and wrote thousands of letters to him throughout her life. From Wikipedia
All the vicinity of this part of Marais is about art. These galleries exist since the beginning of the 20-th century. Every month here is an exhibition of contemporary art: painting, sculpture, photography, lithography, drawing, digital art, and textile art. At this house lived Jules Hardouin Mansart - the prime architect at the time of the rule of Louis XIV. Among his best-known works in Paris are the Pont-Royal, the Église Saint-Roch, the Invalides great domed royal chapel Église du Dôme des Invalides dedicated to Saint Louis (designed in 1680), the Place des Victoires (1684–86) followed by the Place Vendôme (1690). Most of these works still set their stamp on the character of Paris and can be seen by a modern-day tourist. (Wikipedia)
This path owes its name to the hotel of the Grand-Veneur to which it leads. The hotel was confiscated during the Revolution, then it was purchased in 1823 by the Franciscan ladies of St. Elisabeth who occupied it until 1901. A small park in the inner courtyard is a tranquil oasis in the middle of the city.
Very small and very delicious home restaurant. It is located along the arches of the Place des Vosges. It can host three couples for lunch. A nice girl who came to Paris from Ukraine brought us salads and wine. The owner of the restaurant kept a close eye on everything that was happening and smiled every time he met the girl's eyes. The wine was excellent, the day was sunny and the mood was warm.
The Palais des Vosges was built in 1605-12, by the decision of Henry IV. Earlier on this site stood Thurnel Palace, where during the knight tournament King Henry II Valois was mortally wounded. There was a small change since the creation of the Palais. The single architecture style is very unusual: all buildings are built from red brick with stripes of gray stone. Two buildings with higher attic roofs are called pavilions of the king and queen: here was celebrated the wedding of Louis XIII and Anne of Austria. In the houses on the square lived many famous people - In the corner (No 6) there is the "Maison de Victor Hugo". Victor Hugo lived here from 1832 to 1848, in that time it was Hôtel de Rohan.
The equestrian statue of Louis XIII stand in the middle of the syare. It was installed by the efforts of Richelieu. The statue was melted during the French revolution and was restored in 1825.
The square of Bastille, is named after the famous prison of Paris that stud here at the beginning of French revolution. On July 14, 1789, the prison and its prisoners were freed by revolutionists. It took three years to dismantle the walls of the prison. Paving stones on the boulevard of Henry IV determine the line, which indicates the contours of the walls of the destroyed prison. A sign with the inscription "Ici on danse" ("Here dances") was put on the wasteland and every year folk festival took place here. Tradition remains so far. In 1833, Louis-Philippe I decided to establish a July column in the square in memory of the "three days of glory" from July 27 to July 29, 1830 during the July Revolution
This building was built in 1911 by the architect Paul Friesé for the Metropolitan Railroad Company of Paris. It is a part of the former electrical substations. Inside, there was, until the middle of the twentieth century, a huge machine room. For half a century, these substations have provided the electricity needed to operate the Paris metro since the opening of the first line on July 19, 1900.
During the nineteenth century and most of the twentieth, the Bassin de l'Arsenal was a commercial port. In 1983, separated from the Seine by the Morland lock gate, the port was converted into a leisure port. Since that time, it has been a marina (in French, a port de pleasance), for approximately 180 pleasure boats. (Based on Wikipedia)
A quiet and cozy embankment led us to the bridges. The sun was going down, covering houses and parks in pink. On the other bank of the river, there is a small square named after Antoine-Louis Bari at the end of the island of Saint-Louis. It was opened in 1938. Antoine-Louis Bari was an animal sculptor and lived next door (4 quai des Célestins). The park is decorated with a monument created from Bari's works in 1894 and, 20 years after his death, his memory was honored with this impressive monument.
We found a refuge for swans. These big beautiful birds have chosen a place under the Sully bridge. Sully's bridge is named after the Duke of Sully Maximilian de Bétune, who was the head of the French government under King Henry IV. This historic figure was honored by Baron Osman, who actively rebuilt the capital. The bridge is originally located at an acute angle on the shore. Thanks to this, it offers a good overview of the promenade islands of Saint-Louis and the Notre-Dame-de-Paris cathedral.
From 17-th century the Hôtel Lambert is standing on the opposite shore of Siena at the tip of the Île Saint-Louis. It was originally built for the financier Jean-Baptiste Lambert. Since the 1644 - the Hotel had a long story of glory and gore. In the 20-th century it was discreetly split into several luxurious apartments. It was once the home of actress Michèle Morgan, Mona von Bismarck, and of Alexis von Rosenberg, Baron de Redé, who rented the ground floor from 1947 until his death. De Redé entertained his lover Arturo Lopez-Willshaw (1900–1962), who continued to maintain a formal residence with his wife Patricia in Neuilly. Redé and Lopez-Willshaw's dinner parties and balls were at the center of le tout Paris. In 1969 de Redé staged his most famous ball, the Bal Oriental, with guests such as Jacqueline de Ribes, Guy de Rothschild, Salvador Dalí, Brigitte Bardot, Dolores Guinness, and Margrethe II of Denmark. (Based on Wikipedia)
- The Mari Bridge is a popular sightseeing spot. Guides often tell tourists that the bridge of Mari is considered as a "bridge of lovers". Allegedly, there is a sign that under the bridge you need to kiss a nearby person and make a wish. Despite the lack of a historical basis for such an urban legend, it is mentioned in most tourist guidebooks. And we also did it. The bridge is named in honor of the engineer Christophe Marie. King Louis XIII was present at the official ceremony of laying the first stone in 1614. In 1658, there was a flood in Paris. Seine demolished two arches of the bridge, 20 houses were destroyed. The bridge was rebuilt in 1660, and in 1677 it was rebuilt in stone. The construction of houses on the bridge was banned in 1769. Each of the five arches of the Mari Bridge is unique and has a different size. In the foundations of the bridge, there are niches for statues, but they have never been filled.
- The current Louis Philippe bridge, which is 100 meters long and 16 meters wide, is similar to the previous bridge of Bercy, that was here before. It was made by engineers Romany and Savarin between 1860 and 1862. It is supported by 3 arches. It connects the right bank the quay of the Town Hall to the island Saint Louis.
- The most romantic and, perhaps, the most beautiful place in the city. Whatever they say, beauty is banal. Notre-Dame de Paris is a Catholic church in the center of Paris, one of the symbols of the French capital. It is located on the site of the first Christian church in Paris - the Basilica of St. Stephen, that was built on the foundation of the Gallo-Roman temple of Jupiter. Some significant events took place in the cathedral. 1239 - the solemn transfer by Louis IX of the crown of thorns of Jesus Christ, which will be kept in the cathedral until the completion of the construction of Saint-Chapelle. 1572 - August 18 (six days before the St. Bartholomew's Night), the marriage of Margarita de Valois and Henry of Navarre (future Henry IV). 1793 - November 10 (20 Brumaire II year) the cathedral becomes the temple of Reason, where the cult of Reason and the Supreme Being will be practiced. 1804 - December 2 Napoleon Bonaparte is crowned Emperor of the French in the presence of Pope Pius VII. 1945 - On May 9, Cardinal Sauar meets in the cathedral of General de Gaulle, government members and ambassadors of the United States, the USSR, and Great Britain; a service is conducted with the singing of "Te Deum" and the performance of "Marseillaise" on a large organ. To commemorate the 850th anniversary of the cathedral (lasting almost a year - from December 12, 2012 to November 24, 2013), nine new bells were cast for the cathedral (the total cost of creating new bells was estimated at 2 million euros). A specially created "pilgrim route" helped to get to know little-known facts about the territory adjacent to the cathedral and the secrets of the courtyard. In May 2013, the famous French writer and essayist Dominic Wenner committed suicide in front of the cathedral's altar in defense of traditional values.
