BUILDINGS
Below are some other buildings around the city that deserve
attention. Also, don’t forget to take a look at museums,
monuments,
districts and to visit.
BIBLIOTHEQUE NATIONALE DE FRANCE
Source:
www.parisbalades.com
On the 14th of July 1988, during his annual televised
address from the Parc de l’Elysée, the President
of the Republic announced “the construction of one of the
largest and most modern
libraries in the world, which will cover all the fields of
human knowledge, will be open to all, and will use the most modern
technology in data transmission, so that the information stored
therein will be accessible from other European libraries.
On the 8th of October 1998, the opening of the
research library marked the completion of this grand project.
Today known as the BNF (bibliothèque nationale de France).The National Library of France was formed through
a fusion of the previous national library and the Establishment
of Public Libraries in France. It displays its collections and
fulfils its functions on various sites:-The François-Mitterrand site (Collections
of printed material, periodics, audiovisual and computer documents)
-The Richelieu site, (Collections of manuscripts, etchings and
photography, maps, coins, medals and antiques, music, stage arts)
-L'Arsenal
-La Bibliothèque Musée de l'Opéra (Music)
-La Maison Jean Vilar in Avignon (Theatre) (For more information :
category
"monuments/buildings").
CENTRE GEORGES POMPIDOU BEAUBOURG
CONTEMPORAIN
Source:
www.parisbalades.com
Le
centre Georges Pompidou
M° Rambuteau, Les Halles
R.E.R. Châtelet les Halles
Tel: 01 44 78 12 33
Opening:
Monday, Wednesday – Friday 12.00 – 22.00, Saturday
& Sunday 10.00 – 22.00
CITE DES SCIENCES ET DE L’INDUSTRIE
Source:
www.parisbalades.com
La
cité des sciences et de l'industrie, avenue Corentin
Cariou (la cité des sciences)
(métro Porte de la Villette) (tel. 01 36 68 29 30, 08 36
68 29 30, open 10.00-18.00 except Monday)(architecte Adrien Fainsilber,
1986) The museum occupies a building which was originally
constructed in 1969 to serve as a sales hall for the city’s
new abattoirs. The Cité is also home to a planetarium,
an aquarium, the Cité des enfants (for children of 3-12
years), "Techno Cité" – where some 60 experiments
allow anyone over the age of 11 to discover how technology works,
the Cité des metiers (on vocations and professions, free
entry, closed Sundays), a media library and a cinema devoted to
science
LA GEODE
Source:
www.parisbalades.com
(tel. 01 40 05 80 00, or 01 36 68 29 30, shows
every hour from 10.00 – 21.00, closed Mondays during the
school period, reservation recommended) (architect Adrien Fainsilber,
1985)
OPERA GARNIER DE PARIS
Source:
www.parisbalades.com
Désormais "Palais de la danse",
place de l'Opéra (l'Opéra de Paris) (métro
Opéra)
(tel. 01 40 01 22 63 or 01 40 01 25 14, open 10.00-16.30, guided
visit every day from 12.00, minimum 10 persons per group, English
language visits: 01 40 01 22 63) (architecte Charles Garnier,
1874)
Built by Charles Garnier in 1874,
the
opera house is somewhere between the baroque and neo-renaissance
styles. The façade and the interior are resplendent with
sculptures and decorations that responded to the tastes of the
decadent high society of the late 19th century: luxurious, grand
and depictive. In 1964, Malraux was commissioned by Chagall to
decorate the ceiling of the arena. Accommodating 2130 spectators,
the great red and gold amphitheatre is situated exactly in the
centre of the building. Since the opening of the Opéra
Bastille, the Opéra Garnier has become the Palais de la
Danse and is now devoted to ballet.
OPERA DE LA BASTILLE
Source:
www.parisbalades.com
2-6 place de la Bastille, 12th (l'Opéra
de Paris)
(Métro Bastille)
(Métro Bastille) (tél. 01 44 73 13 00, open during
the day for ticket sales, guided tours by arrangement –
minimum 10 persons.
tel. 01 40 01 19 70) (Architect Carlos Ott, 1989).
One of the “great works” commissioned
by François Mitterand, the new
opera
house was completed in 1989. It was situated at Place de la
Bastille in the east of Paris, a site famous for its role in the
French revolution, to reinvigorate the capital’s eastern
side.
Inside, the great white hall is decorated with contemporary sculptures
(Niki de Saint-Phalle, Klein). The amphitheatre of granite and
oak seats 2700 spectators and boasts two stages, which allows
shows to be alternated without the dismantling of stage décor,
thanks to 9 “clearing areas”.
LA TOUR MONTPARNASSE
Source:
www.parisbalades.com
Place Raoul Dautry, 15è
tour
montparnasse vue panoramique
(tel. 01 45 38 52 56, open 9.30 – 22.00 in winter: 1st October
– 31st March; 23.00 in summer)
(architects Eugène Beaudoin, Urbain Cassan, Louis Hoym
de Marien, Jean Saubot, 1973). Concevied in 1958, the Montparnasse tower (210
metres high) was not finished until 1973. Within the district
where it is situated, the tower was designed to frame the view
from the Rue de Rennes without blocking that view, which it achieves
because of its slightly off-centre position. The advantage of
towers, of course, is that they offer a great view of the city…
(from the belvedere and the 56th floor restaurant).