Tuesday July 24 in Paris

Today I visited a spot that I always wanted to see----La Defense.  It is at the end of Metro Line 1, and was the brainchild of Francois Mitterrand.  It is very different from Paris proper, with skyscrapers, glass and steel buildings, and a huge office and shopping area.  This is modern Paris--no "Patriots" here. I spent the day wandering around, noticing the modern sculptures and buildings, visiting one of the largest shopping centers in Europe, and people watching!

Interestingly, the design was shaped by the "Historical Axis", which starts at the Louvre and continues along the Champs-Elysees, and the Arc de Triomphe.  The culmination is the Grande Arche. This line has been evident and important for many years, but only in recent times was such a huge building project initiated.  The name comes from a statue in the middle of the esplanade.  "La Defense" honors the defenders of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War.

Like another Paris landmark, La Defense was not welcomed by all of Paris, but is had become almost as iconic.  More facts include its size of 110 meters tall by 112 meters deep and it could hold the Notre Dame cathedral within its arch. One more interesting fact;  there is a slight deviation of the Arch along the Historical Axis.  That alteration was needed to keep the underground traffic stations well placed.  Several websites claim that that just makes it a better sight to see and appreciate the "cubic volume".


                                              

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