The document summarizes the history of Paris from its beginnings as a settlement of Celtic Gauls called the Parisii over 2000 years ago to its current status as a global center of culture and tourism. It describes how Paris was conquered by the Romans and renamed Lutetia before being taken over by the Franks and their King Clovis I. Key events included the founding of Notre Dame Cathedral and the University of Paris in the Middle Ages, the French Revolution in the late 18th century, and Baron Haussmann's modernization project in the 19th century. Major construction projects like the Eiffel Tower and expansion of the metro system transformed Paris into a world-class capital. Paris suffered damage in World War II but

1. PARIS
Benedict (Viktor) Gombocz

2. HISTORY: BEGINNINGS
 Paris’ history goes back over 2,000 years
when almost 60 Celtic peoples known as
the Gauls inhabited the region, most
prominently in the Paris Basin on the Ile de
la Cité.
 One of their ethnic groups, the Parisii,
eventually gave the modern city their
name.
 The Gauls consisted of warrior peoples
who hunted, fished, and made their livings
in huts with thatched roofs.
 The religion they practiced, called
Druidism, praised scenery; numerous
modern religious celebrations include
remains of Druidic worship.
 The most important celebration, la fête du
gui (mistletoe) kicked off the new year.
 They also burned the Yule log to observe
the return to light after a long, dark season
of winter.

3. HISTORY: BEGINNINGS (CONT.)
 The Parisii ‘s head soldier, Vercingétorix, was
defeated by the Roman Army under Julius
Caesar (c. 100-44 B.C.) around 50 B.C.
 The Romans renamed the Gaulish capital
Lutetia; it remained named so until a Germanic
people called the Franks (therefore the name
for modern France) reconquered it.
 The Franks’ king, Clovis (465-511), converted
to Christianity and claimed the old name of
Paris for its capital.
 By brute force, Clovis created the Merovingian
reign of kings, making a code of laws called the
Salic Law.
 In 800, Charlemagne (747-814) moved his
capital from Aix-la-Chapelle to Paris, which
made Paris the lasting capital city of what is
now present-day France.
 Another group of intruders called the Vikings
(actually Norsemen) constantly occupied and
sacked Paris until they eventually became a
sophisticated part of the society.

4. HISTORY: MIDDLE AGES
 By the mid-twelfth century, King Philippe Auguste
(1165-1223) transformed Paris into a proper
medieval city with a shielding wall around it.
 He constructed his fortress, which was little more
than a citadel on the location of the present-day
Louvre.
 No one knows what the word Louvre means, other
than that it is believed to originate from the Latin
word for wolves.
 Philippe housed his wolf-hunting dogs in the castle.
 The Middle Ages witnessed the start of the
cathedral Notre Dome de Paris’s construction in
1163; it is one of the most well-known models of
Gothic structural design.
 The University of Paris, one of the biggest
universities in the world, was founded during the
Middle Ages.
 The city of Paris, enclosed by walls, still lay on the
Ile de la Cité in the middle of the River Seine.

5. UNIVERSITY OF PARIS

6. HISTORY: THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
 Steadily, the city of Paris became so largely
populated that the walls were raised further
and further out to hold the growing public.
 The last of these protecting walls was
annihilated in 1919 by the Third French
Republic’s government.
 The French kings slowly increased and revised
the Louvre to become the kings’ citadel.
 The French Revolution of 1789-1793 was a
turning point for Paris’ renovation; during that
unstable period, there were uprisings in the
streets and the people blockaded the narrow,
winding streets to put a stop to the
government’s authority.
 Emperor Napoleon I (1769-1821) presided over
the building of monuments and the
establishment of a modern sewer system,
which redecorated and cleaned the city.
 The monarchy’s short restoration (1848-1870)
saw the rebuilding of Paris from a medieval
town to a city of magnificent attractiveness and
splendor.

7. HISTORY: THE FRENCH REVOLUTION (CONT.)
 Under the leadership of Baron
Hausmann (1809-1891), the
boulevards were enlarged so that
they could not be easily blockaded
anymore.
 Parks and memorials were built, the
Louvre was completed, the Opera
House was constructed, and an
extensive system of sewers was built.
 Paris was organized into its modern-
day 20 arrondissements.
 Building codes were imposed to
maintain the neo-classical
appearance and to retain a low
building height.

8. PARIS OPERA HOUSE (PALAIS GARNIER) AND
THE MONA LISA

9. HISTORY: THE EIFFEL TOWER
 In 1889, Paris was the site of the
World’s Fair; the newest crowing glory,
the Eiffel Tower, was made public.
 At the time of the tower’s construction, it
was believed to be an outrage; the
French people wanted it removed
immediately.
 The tower outdid the debate to become
Paris’ icon.
 Paris joined London in constructing the
subway (the Métropolitain) in 1900.
 The metro stations at the turn of the
century were stunning examples of Art
Deco, with intricately planned ironwork
gates; some of these remain in
existence even today.

10. HISTORY: WORLD WAR II
 In World War II, the city of Paris
was nearly demolished by
German bombs.
 All of the Louvre art museum’s
treasures were concealed by the
French people during the war, so
that the invading Nazis could not
steal them.
 Charles de Gaulle’s government
brought France’s government to
the current Fifth Republic in
1958.

11. MODERN-DAY PARIS
 Today, Paris is indeed a feast for every sense.
 The city’s orthodox beauty is incredible in the
evening when many of its landmarks are
lighted.
 A new opera house has been added at the old
site of La Bastille (a political penitentiary used
before and during the French Revolution) and
some high-rise buildings have been erected
outside the central area.
 On the whole, Paris is still true to Baron
Hausmann’s architectural plans.
 The large, main boulevards are packed 24
hours per day.
 A tourist may relax in a sidewalk café or visit
any of the numerous museums the city offers.
 Whether it is from a café or a stylish five-star
restaurant, the food is appetizing.
 Customers can find the most recent in fashion
or look through the flea markets for a good
deal.

12. MODERN-DAY PARIS (CONT.)
 The rebuilding of the Beaubourg area
with the obliteration of Les Halles (a
central market place) and the building
of the Centre Pompidou (arts) in
place of it took place in the new
urban restoration of the 1990s.
 The International Communication
Center has been expanded with new
business midpoints in La Défense.
 At the start of the 21st century, Paris
has kept all the fascination, mystery,
and legend of its enchanted past; this
is why Paris is ranked highly among
travel destinations around the world.

13. VERSAILLES PALACE AND THE INTERIOR OF THE
LOUVRE

14. REFERENCES
 http://www.city-data.com/world-cities/Paris-History.html