Stade de Roland Garros (Roland Garros Stadium) is located
just south of the Bois de Boulogne in southwest Paris. It hosts the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament, played
every year in May and June. The stadium is named after Roland Garros, a French aviation pioneer and an aircraft fighter pilot during the
First World War. Garros became the first man to fly a plane over the Mediterranean in September 1913.
The Parc des Princes (Prince’s Park) is located
just above the Peripherique next to the Bois de Boulogne, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. It is the home of football team Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and
seats 48,527. It was formerly the National stadium of France, until the Stade de France was constructed for the 1998
Football World Cup. The Stade de France is now the National stadium of France, built specifically for the 1998 Football World Cup, it is
located in Saint-Denis; Paris. This is where France won the World Cup against Brazil in July 1998.
The Place des Vosges (Vosges square) is located in the Marais area in le Marais, part of the
3rd and 4th arrondissements of Paris. It is close to the new Bastille opera, and is the oldest
square in Paris. It was constructed at the beginning of the 17th century,
under the reign of King Henri IV. The square has over thirty houses that were built using red brick and stone facings. The beautiful arcade goes around the whole square at street level. These former private homes
now house shops, restaurants and art galleries. Many renowned Frenchmen lived there including Victor Hugo
and Alphonse Daudet. It was initially named the Place Royale; the square was renamed
its current name after the Department of Vosges acquired the property in 1799.
The Jardin des Tuileries (Tuileries Gardens) are located along the Rue de Rivoli and the banks
of the River Seine. The gardens cover some 25 hectares, with
many flowerbeds and a number of captivating sculptures that include works of Marly, Van Cleve, Coustou, and Le Paultre. There are two eminent
buildings - the Orangery and the Musée du Jeu de Paume. Students gather together in these relaxing gardens, participating in gardening,
painting, sculpting and modelling.
Place Vendome is a square located in the 1st arrondissement
of Paris to the north of the Tuileries Gardens and east of the Eglise de la Madeleine. The square is a masterpiece of traditional structural design,
and dates back to the reign of Louis XIV. The famous Ritz Hotel is situated here amongst luxurious shops selling expensive designer
jewellery and suchlike. It was restored to its original appearance in 1992 and parking was eradicated. The huge green column (Colonne
de Vendome) on the square stands 44m high and covered in the bronze of 1250 cannons that were captured at the Battle of
Austerliz in 1805.
The Palais-Royal and garden is north of the Louvre,
and was constructed in 1629 under
Cardinal Richelieu, a prominent French minister from 1624 to 1642. Although the actual Palace is not open to the public, the courtyard and
garden can be visited. A huge sculpture of 280 black and white striped shortened columns by Daniel Buren
dominates the courtyard, which were installed in 1986. The formal garden is laid out around a
central fountain and provides a peaceful sanctuary in the heart of the city. Around 60 buildings on three sides of the park were added in
1874, surrounded by a mosaic paved arcade. These buildings are now used for restaurants, shops and galleries.
Cimetière du Pere Lachaise (The Pere Lachaise Cemetery) is located on Boulevard de Menilmontant in the 20th arrondissement. The cemetery (the largest in the actual City of Paris) was established in 1804 by Napoleon. Cemeteries had been
forbidden within Paris in 1786, after the shutting down of the Cimetière des Innocents
on the edge of Les Halles food market, because it created a health hazard. The Cemetery is divided into 97 divisions and many of the rich and famous are buried here
including Oscar Wilde, Frederic Chopin and Gertrude Stein. The plots (over 70,000 plots here) at Père-Lachaise vary from a plain, austere
headstone to high monuments and detailed tiny chapels devoted to the memory of a famous person or family.
The Cemetery attracts around 1.5 million visitors annually, with a huge majority of these
visitors going to see the grave of Jim Morrison the famous rock star, who was the lead singer with the band ‘Doors’. Jim was found dead in
a bathtub at his hotel, the cause of death was given as heart failure.
In division 97 of the Cemetery, the Mur
des Féderés, the wall
against which 147 Revolutionaries of the Paris Commune were shot in May 1871
can be located. They were all buried where they fell in a mass grave; the original wall was replaced with the current Memorial wall in the
1960’s. On plots of land adjoining the wall are memorials to: Jews and others who were killed in the death camps; political prisoners who
died in Nazi prisons and concentration camps; workers who died on wartime forced labour projects; and members of the French Resistance
Fighters who gave their lives for the freedom of France. A map detailing the Cemetery can be bought for a few Euros, admission is free.
Les Passages couverts de Paris are shopping malls linked by
passages, located between the Grands Boulevards and the Louvre, they were designed in the 19th Century. After being neglected
for decades, many have now been renovated, restoring their tiled floors and glass roofs to their former glory.
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