Paris History

Parisians Of Yore

A haven for artsy eccentrics even in prehistoric times, it was the limestone quarries at the site of modern Paris that originally lured budding artists, providing them with optimal rock drawing materials ...more

Frankly, My Dear, They Didn't Give A Damn

Sadly, no amount of hallelujahs could spare the town from the Franks. Paris became the center of the kingdom of Clovis in 508, but power shifted out of Paris to the north of France after Charlemagne became ...more

Out Of The Dark

By the late 15th century, Paris had thrown itself headlong into the Renaissance. Francis I founded the Collège de France in this period, which joined the long-established University of Paris and Sorbonne ...more

Lovin Those Loueys

Henry was succeeded by a long line of Louis's, the first being his son, nine-year-old Louis XIII. Despite a nasty stutter, little Louis did an adequate job maintaining Paris as an economic and artistic ...more

Beaucoup Coups

The Jacobins of the First French Republic began the Reign of Terror—an execution campaign spearheaded by Maximilein Robespierre. He and his henchmen guillotined thousands of so-called counterrevolutionaries ...more

The War Years

Like most places ‘round the world, Paris suffered considerably during World War I and the postwar years. Postwar Paris was the unofficial home of expatriates, drawn to the bohemian lifestyle of Paris ...more

Protests, Bad Hygiene, And Eyesores, Oh My

Catching its breath after the Nazis, the city saw little action until the global | acid trip that was the 1960s. In 1961, a peaceful demonstration by North Africans protesting the Algerian War turned ...more

Paris—so In Right Now

Despite the sporadic political violence of the past half-century, Paris has steadily continued to serve as a beacon of unparalleled cosmopolitan culture, as any Parisian will be more than happy to remind ...more

More Cultural Essentials in Paris

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