Online dictionary of France travel and tourism: paris

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Pompidou center

French words: Centre Georges Pompidou
alternative words: Centre Pompidou, Centre Georges Pompidou
keywords: museum , paris
related web sites: http://www.cnac-gp.fr , http://www.bpi.fr
explanation: Located in Beaubourg district at the center of Paris and near les Halles, Pompidou center was built between 1971 and 1977 in order to house a public information library and a contemporary art museum such as fauvism, cubism, surrealism and abstract arts. French president, Georges Pompidou was the promoter of this project. Conceived by the architects, Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, the monument provoked a controversy on its refinery like aspect. The place before the center is a Mecca of street performers.

Printemps

French words: Printemps , Le Printemps
keywords: paris , shop
related topics: Gare Saint Lazare , Deauville
related web sites: http://www.printemps.com , http://www.pprgroup.com
explanation: One of the major department stores, Printemps was created in 1865, near Saint Lazare station by Jules Jaluzot, an ex-employee of "Bon Marche". Thanks to an expansion of western Paris and an innovative business model, mail-order, his affairs had developed quickly. The current store, made of 2 buildings connected by a bridge, covers 47459 m2. In 1912, an opening of the first branch at Deauville. In 1991, François Pinault purchased Printemps to create a new distribution group, PPR (Pinault-Printemps-Redoute)

RATP

French words: RATP , Régie autonome des transports parisiens
keywords: paris , paris suburb , transport
related topics: RER , Paris subway , Montmartre hill , Parisian bus
related web sites: http://www.ratp.fr , http://www.navily.net
explanation: Public company which covers most of Paris and its suburb transport system. It includes Paris subway (16 lines, including full automatic Meteor line), Parisian bus network (total length 3400 km), a part of suburb railroads (lines A and B of RER), Montmatre hill's funicular and tramway (2 lines already operating in the suburb area and a circular line around Paris under construction). RATP transported total 2666 million persons in 2002 with 44000 employees. RATP means "Regie autonome des transports parisiens".

RER

French words: RER , Réseau Express Régional
alternative words: Regional Express Network, Paris suburban railway
keywords: paris , paris suburb , transport
related topics: Paris subway , SNCF , RATP
related web sites: http://www.ratp.fr , http://idf.sncf.com , http://www.navily.net/histreranc.php
explanation: Though there had existed already railroads which connected the suburbs to Paris before WWII, those lines belonged to different companies and badly interconnected between them So the government built in 1977 a public organisation, RER which would unified those scattered lines by completing lacking segments and electrifying them if necessary. There exist now 5 RER lines with an alphabet initial. The oldest is the line A which runs from west to east through Paris, followed by the line B, from north to south.

Roland-Garros

French words: Roland-Garros , Stade Roland-Garros
alternative words: French Open, Roland Garros Stadium
keywords: paris , sport
related topics: Bois de Boulogne
related web sites: http://www.rolandgarros.com
explanation: Between the end May and the beginning June, Roland-Garros organizes "French Open", one of the 4 major world tennis championships: other are Australian Open, Wimbledon and Flushing Meadow. Its courts being covered with clays, the ball bounces slowly compared to grass or hard courts and consequently it makes difficult to win the prize for attackers such as John McEnroe. Located in south-west of Paris, at the southern edge of "Bois de Boulogne", its name comes from a French aviator ace of WWI, Roland-Garros.

Sacre Coeur Basilica

French words: Basilique du Sacré Coeur
alternative words: Basilica of the Sacre Coeur, Sacre Coeur, Sacred Heart
keywords: church , paris , tourist resort
related topics: Montmartre hill
related web sites: http://www.sacre-coeur-montmartre.com , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_the_Sacr%E9_Coeur
explanation: Sacre Coeur Basilica was planed for the victims of Franco-Prussian War of 1870 and Paris commune revolt of 1871. Its construction began in 1875 from public funds, by the design of architect Paul Abadie, and achieved ironically in 1919 after the WWI. Situated at the culminant point of Paris, Montmartre hill, where Saint Denis was beheaded in 250 A.D., this Romano-Byzantine style basilica, made with white stones of Chateau-Landon, is visible everywhere. A Bell of 18.5 tonnes is inside the tower of 84m high.

Saint Chapel

French words: Sainte Chapelle
alternative words: Sainte Chapelle
keywords: church , human heritage , paris , tourist resort
related topics: Notre-dame cathedral , Cite island
related web sites: http://www.histoire-en-ligne.com/article.php3?id_article=25 , http://architecture.relig.free.fr/chapelle1.htm
explanation: Located on Cite Island, near Notre-Dame cathedral, Saint Chapel was built in 1248 by French King, Saint Louis, in order to enshrine the relics of Christ that he had purchased from a Byzantine emperor. The chapel was directly attached to the royal palace so he could directly go to the second floor, while the ground floor was for the common people. Though the French revolution damaged it seriously, it was restored in 19th century. Its stained-glass is considered one of the master pieces of the medieval art.

Saint Sulpice church

French words: Eglise Saint Sulpice
alternative words: St Sulpice church, Saint Sulpice
keywords: church , paris , tourist resort
related web sites: http://www.publifilm.com/sulpice/ , http://infopuq.uquebec.ca/~uss1010/orgues/france/ssulpice.html , http://www.parisrama.com/thematiques/thematique_saint_sulpice_paris.htm
explanation: There had existed already a small church depending on the parish of Saint Germain des Pres since 9th century. In 1642, the new perish priest and the founder of Saint Sulpice Order, Jean-Jacques Olier, decided to build a new church. Due to financial difficulties, the construction stopped once and achieved only in 1745. Saint Sulpice church is notorious for its organ, the largest in Europe, which was installed in 1776. Famous fountain of 4 bishops, designed by Visconti in 1844, is on the place Saint Sulpice.

Trocadero palace

French words: Trocadéro , Palais du Trocadéro , Palais de Chaillot
alternative words: Trocadero, Chaillot palace
keywords: building , paris , touriste resort
related topics: Eiffel Tower
related web sites: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palais_de_Chaillot
explanation: Facing Eiffel Tower in another side of the Seine river, Trocadero palace was built for 1937's Universal Exposition with Jacques Carlu as the main architect, by replacing the precedent palace built for1878's Exposition. Its name comes from a monument built there in order to commemorate the French victory at Trocadero in Spain in 1823. The famous universal declaration of human rights was adopted there by the United Nations in 1948. Trocadero hosts now several expositions such as naval and ethnology museums.

Tuileries palace

French words: Palais de Tuileries , Jardin des Tuileries
alternative words: Tuileries garden, Tuileries
keywords: castle , paris , park , tourist resort
related topics: Louvre museum
related web sites: http://www.ac-bordeaux.fr/Etablissement/JMonnet/histgeo/paris/Tuils1.html , http://www.hberlioz.com/Paris/BPTuileriesF.html , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuileries
explanation: Unhappy with Louvre palace, French queen, Catherine of Medici asked in 1564 to build her residence nearby with a large garden. It would be called "Tuileries palace" and became a favourite palace for French kings. During French revolution in 1789, Louis XVI was under house arrest there before being beheaded at Place Concorde. During Paris commune uprising in 1871, Tuileries palace was burned out and only Flore and Marsan pavilions, junction with Louvre palace, and Tuileries garden have subsisted until today.

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