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Water in Paris
For a very long time, Parisians also suffered from a lack of water . . .
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Traffic in Paris
Parisians were soon confronted with yet another problem . . .
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The Parisian Insecurity
The city of Paris soon became a very difficult place to live . . .
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Paris and Louisiana
In 1656, in an attempt to get control of this situation and provide Parisians with a basic
sense of security . . .
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Baron Haussmann
Without the daring and tenacity of one man, Baron Haussmann, Paris
as we know it today would certainly have a different look . . .
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Paris Today
Nevertheless, Paris remains a beautiful and most romantic city, where you can stroll endlessly
and visit countless architectural treasures . . .
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onjour!
This month, we have chosen to dedicate our newsletter to Paris, the City of Light. It will take
us several issues to cover such a remarkable city. Before walking through the streets of Paris
and evoking its monuments, or the famous squares that lend it such beauty and richness, let’s go
back in time to get a glimpse of the life of Parisians and the numerous transformations that
turned Lutetia into the beautiful capital city it is today.
But before continuing, please remember that you can
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| Paris, City of Light |
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Lutèce or Paris?
About 3 centuries BC, a Celtic tribe known as the Parisii settled on a small boat-shaped island.
With the river Seine as a natural barrier, it seemed the perfect place to resist potential future
invasions. How could this tribe have foreseen that this little island would become, a few centuries
later, the heart of the capital of France. Paris was originally just a small primitive village,
with cows grazing peacefully in the fields. In 53 BC, the Romans invaded the city and renamed it
Lutetia. The Roman city grew to cover the slopes of Mount Ste-Genevieve, on the left bank. The
right bank was much too swampy to be inhabitable, not to mention it was taken over by wild boars.
Around 360 AD, the Emperor of Rome, Julian the Apostate, was sent to Lutetia to battle a new
barbarian invasion. History has it that he fell for the charm of the city and chose to give it
back its original name, Paris.
Paris, City of Light
This appellation may make sense today, but it certainly didn’t in the past. In fact, for centuries,
the lack of lighting in Paris was a real curse. Paris was a very dangerous city, where it was not
prudent to go for a walk, especially at night. In the 13th century, under Philip the Fair, Paris
had a sum total of 3 lights. During the respective reigns of Louis XII, Francois I and Henri II
(15th and 16th centuries), a rule was extended requiring that each household place a candle in a
street-facing window to compensate for this problem. It was all in vain as this law was never
enforced. The immense feeling of insecurity persisted, as Paris remained in a state of quasi
non-existent lighting. In 1662, at certain intersections, light carriers were available to
accompany passerby home with torches or oil lanterns, for a small fee. A few years later, lanterns
were raised over the streets, but it was not until 1892 that an extensive network of gas lighting
was finally set up throughout Paris.
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Water in Paris
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For a very long time, Parisians also suffered from a lack of water, despite the proximity of the
river Seine. Throughout the centuries, aqueducts were built to bring water from nearby regions,
but the problem remained a crucial one. In the 14th century, a decree kept Parisians from sweeping
the streets on rainy days to avoid further polluting the river. In the 17th Century, Henry IV had
a pump installed on the “Pont Neuf” (New Bridge), called the Samaritan, to consume the water from
the Seine in a more optimal manner. However, at the time of the Revolution, Parisians were still
restricted to 1 liter of water per day/per person. When one day Bonaparte asked what he could do
for the people of Paris, the prefect answered: "Give them water!" The Ourcq canal was built in
1808 and radically improved the situation.
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Traffic in Paris
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Parisians were soon confronted with yet another problem, traffic, and this one is far from being
resolved even today. Until the reign of Louis XVI, the streets of Paris followed the old paths and
trails, even if they were winding. Paris was therefore crisscrossed with narrow streets that not
only had no sidewalks, but also were divided by a central channel to drain household wastewater.
The only way to get around town was by mule or horse, or on foot. It wasn’t unusual in the Middle-Ages
to see a man carrying his wife on his back through the streets of Paris! The carriage appeared in
the 16th century, and gave Parisians quite a fright. In 1550, only 3 carriages were in circulation
in Paris. In 1563, members of parliament begged Charles IX to forbid them, and by 1594, only 8
carriages were authorized to travel the streets of the city. In 1614, carriages were legally limited
to one per household. Even more frightening were the cabriolets that appeared under the reign of
Louis XV. These very lightweight and fast horse-drawn carriages terrified the poor Parisians, once
again the victims of progress.
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Parisian Insecurity
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The city of Paris soon became a very difficult place to live. Although the stately residences
had large spaces and gardens, the working-class neighborhoods were unfit for habitation and
overcrowded. In the 17th century, the city had a dozen of so-called "Miracle Courts". These were
areas that drew thousands of fringe elements of society, all dangerous individuals of one
sort or the other: thieves, murderers, assassins, prostitutes, and con men. They all obeyed
a single ruler, the “Money King”. This leader was elected, enforced his own laws, and of course
received a percentage of the total amount of the daily loot from robberies. The police did not
dare enter these sordid areas, especially not at night. However, the only one of these "Miracle
Courts" to truly resist the first Paris police chief, Nicolas de la Reynie, was the one located
at 187 rue de Charenton in the 12th district. It was for many years the meeting place of the most
treacherous outlaws in the city. When soldiers on the lookout attempted to penetrate into the area,
a shrill scream was transmitted from house to house to warn of the arrival of these undesirable
visitors.
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Paris and Louisiana
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In 1656, in an attempt to get control of this situation and provide Parisians with a basic sense
of security, these unsavory characters were rounded up in various hospitals. Each hospital had
its “specialty”. "La Pitie" took care of girls and older women, "Bicetre" was for men only, while
"La Salpetriere" took in prostitutes. In 1719, Louis XV was anxious to find a way to quickly
populate Louisiana, the new French colony in America: He selected several hundred women and the
most virile of the male prisoners from these holding cells, and married them by force. These new
couples were then sent to the port of La Rochelle, on the western coast of France, where a galleon
awaited to exile them to New Orleans. This was an undeniable success as many families were thereby
established in America.
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Baron Haussmann
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The 19th century was one of great economic development. Without this prosperous period and the daring
and tenacity of one man, Baron Haussmann, Paris as we know it today would certainly have a different
look. If you know Paris, Hausmann no doubt brings to mind the grand boulevard named after him, that
features large department stores such as Printemps, which opened in 1865 (La Samaritaine, on a
different boulevard, opened in 1869). It was mainly during this era that Paris was transformed from
top to bottom, thanks to its prefect, Baron Hausmann. For more than 15 years, Parisians had to live
in one large construction site: Thousands of unsanitary buildings were destroyed, and thousands of
others rebuilt. The Champs Elysees avenue, which back then was poorly lit, poorly paved, and
attracted a rough crowd, was completely renovated. The twelve avenues that radiate off the Place
de l’Etoile were designed, the Place de la Concorde was decorated, the Opera was built, and the
beautiful green spaces of the Monceau park, the Buttes-Chaumont park, the Bois de Boulogne, and the
Bois de Vincennes were created. It is also during this time that public lighting improved greatly
with the installation of 20,000 gas street-lamps, and the water supply problem was solved thanks
to 1,000 miles of canalization and about 40 miles of sewers. The Grand Boulevards, such as Strasbourg,
Sebastopol, St-Michel, St-Germain and many more were built. These new avenues were all well-ventilated
and more beautiful than ever, and designed much wider to impede the setting-up of barricades during
riots. It would be an arduous task to list all of Baron Haussmann's achievements. A very controversial
figure in his time, it is clear that today, the results of his urban vision are greatly enjoyed by
visitors and Parisians alike.
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Paris Today
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Paris has a surface area of about 39 square miles and a population of 2.3 million in the city
proper, or 9.5 million including its suburbs. Even though a certain exodus to the suburbs has
taken place for economic reasons, Paris still remains one of the most populated cities of Western
Europe. Despite the construction of a 22 mile long circular beltway in 1973, it is still very
difficult to cross the city, and parking options are very expensive. Thanks to the TGV (“Train
à Grande Vitesse”), or high-speed train, some Frenchmen now choose to live more than 100 miles
away from Paris and commute there daily to work. Nevertheless, Paris remains a beautiful and most
romantic city, where you can stroll endlessly and visit countless architectural treasures. To
help you prepare for your next stay in one of the most visited cities in the world, we will
further cover Paris in our upcoming newsletters. 26 million people visited Paris in 2000,
including more than 2.1 million Americans!
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