Paris may not open up to a Russian person right away. Our standardized cities, devoid of real aesthetics, seem to blind us. The mere fact that in Moscow old mansions and churches are being destroyed and built over with “new buildings” speaks for itself. In Paris, we often look like people who have closed their eyes against the bright light and have been caught in the sun, where they feel good and warm, but they do not see the beauty around them or its details. And the number of details in Paris, which you can admire, is incomparable to any city in the world.
Twenty-three centuries of history, of which sixteen centuries – the capital of the state, playing the first or one of the first roles in the History of Europe. Here were born: street names, numbering of houses, urban planning principle based on perspectives, St. Petersburg architecture …
In the XVII century – the largest city in Europe (500 million inhabitants).
In the XVIII century – the city, striking with its often disgusting odors and slop, which you can pour on your head.
In the XIX century – a city that is reborn into a majestic complex of wide streets, breathtaking perspectives, old neighborhoods, Gothic cathedrals, palaces XVI-XIX centuries, exquisite “Ottoman” building (Georges Eugène Haussmann), openwork balconies, high mansard roofs, ranks planted and trimmed trees, the most fashionable in Europe restaurants, cafes, variety shows, couturiers …
Within the same city you will see different epochs, different urban planning principles; trace how fashionable districts moved during the last three centuries from east to west; feel how the authoritative hand of Napoleon I turned Paris towards refinement and breathless beauty; how Napoleon III developed and “upset” Paris, emphasizing and increasing this beauty, and how the Republic, in the faces of its last, post-war presidents continues the work of the emperors….
Few theatrical productions can compare in power of impression and enjoyment with those given by Paris.
