60 Facts About Paris

1.

Since the 17th century, Paris has been one of the world's major centres of finance, diplomacy, commerce, fashion, gastronomy, and science.

FactSnippet No. 448,946
2.

The Paris Region had a GDP of €739 billion in 2019, which is the highest in Europe.

FactSnippet No. 448,947
3.

Paris is especially known for its museums and architectural landmarks: the Louvre received 2.

FactSnippet No. 448,948
4.

Paris is often referred to as the 'City of Light', both because of its leading role during the Age of Enlightenment and more literally because Paris was one of the first large European cities to use gas street lighting on a grand scale on its boulevards and monuments.

FactSnippet No. 448,949
5.

Christianity was introduced in the middle of the 3rd century AD by Saint Denis, the first Bishop of Paris: according to legend, when he refused to renounce his faith before the Roman occupiers, he was beheaded on the hill which became known as Mons Martyrum, later "Montmartre", from where he walked headless to the north of the city; the place where he fell and was buried became an important religious shrine, the Basilica of Saint-Denis, and many French kings are buried there.

FactSnippet No. 448,950
6.

In 1163, during the reign of Louis VII, Maurice de Sully, bishop of Paris, undertook the construction of the Notre Dame Cathedral at its eastern extremity.

FactSnippet No. 448,951
7.

In spite of Henry IV's efforts to improve city circulation, the narrowness of Paris's streets was a contributing factor in his assassination near Les Halles marketplace in 1610.

FactSnippet No. 448,952
8.

Paris built five new bridges, a new chapel for the College of Sorbonne, and a palace for himself, the Palais-Cardinal, which he bequeathed to Louis XIII.

FactSnippet No. 448,953
9.

Paris grew in population from about 400, 000 in 1640 to 650, 000 in 1780.

FactSnippet No. 448,954
10.

Paris was the centre of an explosion of philosophic and scientific activity known as the Age of Enlightenment.

FactSnippet No. 448,955
11.

Paris was the financial capital of continental Europe, the primary European centre of book publishing and fashion and the manufacture of fine furniture and luxury goods.

FactSnippet No. 448,956
12.

Population of Paris had dropped by 100, 000 during the Revolution, but between 1799 and 1815, it surged with 160, 000 new residents, reaching 660, 000.

FactSnippet No. 448,957
13.

Paris began erecting monuments to military glory, including the Arc de Triomphe, and improved the neglected infrastructure of the city with new fountains, the Canal de l'Ourcq, Pere Lachaise Cemetery and the city's first metal bridge, the Pont des Arts.

FactSnippet No. 448,958
14.

The first railway line to Paris opened in 1837, beginning a new period of massive migration from the provinces to the city.

FactSnippet No. 448,959
15.

Paris became the laboratory of Naturalism and Symbolism (Charles Baudelaire and Paul Verlaine), and of Impressionism in art (Courbet, Manet, Monet, Renoir).

FactSnippet No. 448,960
16.

The population of Paris dropped from 2, 850, 000 in 1954 to 2, 152, 000 in 1990, as middle-class families moved to the suburbs.

FactSnippet No. 448,961
17.

Paris is located in northern central France, in a north-bending arc of the river Seine whose crest includes two islands, the Ile Saint-Louis and the larger Ile de la Cite, which form the oldest part of the city.

FactSnippet No. 448,962
18.

Paris has a typical Western European oceanic climate, which is affected by the North Atlantic Current.

FactSnippet No. 448,963
19.

Almost all of its long history, except for a few brief periods, Paris was governed directly by representatives of the king, emperor, or president of France.

FactSnippet No. 448,964
20.

Security of Paris is mainly the responsibility of the Prefecture of Police of Paris, a subdivision of the Ministry of the Interior.

FactSnippet No. 448,965
21.

Paris is one of the few world capitals that has rarely seen destruction by catastrophe or war.

FactSnippet No. 448,966
22.

Paris is the fourth largest municipality in the European Union, following Berlin, Madrid and Rome.

FactSnippet No. 448,967
23.

Jewish population of the Paris Region was estimated in 2014 to be 282, 000, the largest concentration of Jews in the world outside of Israel and the United States.

FactSnippet No. 448,968
24.

Paris is the home of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

FactSnippet No. 448,969
25.

Economy of the City of Paris is based largely on services and commerce; of the 390, 480 enterprises in the city, 80.

FactSnippet No. 448,970
26.

Paris Region is France's leading region for economic activity, with a GDP of €681 billion and €56, 000 (~US$70, 000) per capita.

FactSnippet No. 448,971
27.

In 2018, Paris was the most expensive city in the world with Singapore and Hong Kong.

FactSnippet No. 448,972
28.

Paris's manufacturing is mostly focused in its suburbs, and the city itself has only around 75, 000 manufacturing workers, most of which are in the textile, clothing, leather goods, and shoe trades.

FactSnippet No. 448,973
29.

Greater Paris, comprising Paris and its three surrounding departments, received 38 million visitors in 2019, a record, measured by hotel arrivals.

FactSnippet No. 448,974
30.

In 2018, measured by the Euromonitor Global Cities Destination Index, Paris was the second-busiest airline destination in the world, with 19.

FactSnippet No. 448,975
31.

Centre of Paris contains the most visited monuments in the city, including the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Louvre as well as the Sainte-Chapelle; Les Invalides, where the tomb of Napoleon is located, and the Eiffel Tower are located on the Left Bank south-west of the centre.

FactSnippet No. 448,976
32.

In 2019, Greater Paris had 2, 056 hotels, including 94 five-star hotels, with a total of 121, 646 rooms.

FactSnippet No. 448,977
33.

Centuries, Paris has attracted artists from around the world, who arrive in the city to educate themselves and to seek inspiration from its vast pool of artistic resources and galleries.

FactSnippet No. 448,978
34.

Paris was central to the development of Romanticism in art, with painters such as Gericault.

FactSnippet No. 448,979
35.

Paris Museums were closed for much of 2020, but gradually re-opened in 2021, with limitations on the number of visitors at a time and a requirement that visitors wear masks and show proof of vaccination.

FactSnippet No. 448,980
36.

Largest opera houses of Paris are the 19th-century Opera Garnier and modern Opera Bastille; the former tends toward the more classic ballets and operas, and the latter provides a mixed repertoire of classic and modern.

FactSnippet No. 448,981
37.

In 1911, the dance hall Olympia Paris invented the grand staircase as a settling for its shows, competing with its great rival, the Folies Bergere.

FactSnippet No. 448,982
38.

Later, Olympia Paris presented Dalida, Edith Piaf, Marlene Dietrich, Miles Davis, Judy Garland and the Grateful Dead.

FactSnippet No. 448,983
39.

Casino de Paris presented many famous French singers, including Mistinguett, Maurice Chevalier and Tino Rossi.

FactSnippet No. 448,984
40.

Since then, Paris has been the centre of the French publishing industry, the home of some of the world's best-known writers and poets, and the setting for many classic works of French literature.

FactSnippet No. 448,985
41.

Paris did not become the acknowledged capital of French literature until the 17th century, with authors such as Boileau, Corneille, La Fontaine, Moliere, Racine, Charles Perrault, several coming from the provinces, as well as the foundation of the Academie francaise.

FactSnippet No. 448,986
42.

Small Paris bookstores are protected against competition from discount booksellers by French law; books, even e-books, cannot be discounted more than five percent below their publisher's cover price.

FactSnippet No. 448,987
43.

Paris became a major centre for jazz and still attracts jazz musicians from all around the world to its clubs and cafes.

FactSnippet No. 448,988
44.

Django Reinhardt rose to fame in Paris, having moved to the 18th arrondissement in a caravan as a young boy, and performed with violinist Stephane Grappelli and their Quintette du Hot Club de France in the 1930s and 1940s.

FactSnippet No. 448,989
45.

Several yearly festivals take place in Paris, including the Paris Jazz Festival and the rock festival Rock en Seine.

FactSnippet No. 448,990
46.

Since the late 18th century, Paris has been famous for its restaurants and haute cuisine, food meticulously prepared and artfully presented.

FactSnippet No. 448,991
47.

Several of the best-known restaurants in Paris today appeared during the Belle Epoque, including Maxim's on Rue Royale, Ledoyen in the gardens of the Champs-Elysees, and the Tour d'Argent on the Quai de la Tournelle.

FactSnippet No. 448,992
48.

Since the 19th century, Paris has been an international fashion capital, particularly in the domain of haute couture.

FactSnippet No. 448,993
49.

Paris is the departement with the highest proportion of highly educated people.

FactSnippet No. 448,994
50.

University of Paris, founded in the 12th century, is often called the Sorbonne after one of its original medieval colleges.

FactSnippet No. 448,995
51.

Paris is home to several of France's most famous high-schools such as Lycee Louis-le-Grand, Lycee Henri-IV, Lycee Janson de Sailly and Lycee Condorcet.

FactSnippet No. 448,996
52.

Paris hosted the 1900 and 1924 Summer Olympics and will host the 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games.

FactSnippet No. 448,997
53.

Paris has most recently been the host for UEFA Euro 2016, both at the Parc des Princes in the city proper and at Stade de France, with the latter hosting the opening match and final.

FactSnippet No. 448,998
54.

Paris is a major international air transport hub with the 5th busiest airport system in the world.

FactSnippet No. 448,999
55.

Orly Airport, located in the southern suburbs of Paris, replaced Le Bourget as the principal airport of Paris from the 1950s to the 1980s.

FactSnippet No. 449,000
56.

Paris offers a bike sharing system called Velib' with more than 20, 000 public bicycles distributed at 1, 800 parking stations, which can be rented for short and medium distances including one way trips.

FactSnippet No. 449,001
57.

Paris today has more than 421 municipal parks and gardens, covering more than 3, 000 hectares and containing more than 250, 000 trees.

FactSnippet No. 449,002
58.

The Jardin des plantes was the first botanical garden in Paris, created in 1626 by Louis XIII's doctor Guy de La Brosse for the cultivation of medicinal plants.

FactSnippet No. 449,003
59.

Open from 1804, these were the cemeteries of Pere Lachaise, Montmartre, Montparnasse, and later Passy; these cemeteries became inner-city when Paris annexed all neighbouring communes to the inside of its much larger ring of suburban fortifications in 1860.

FactSnippet No. 449,004
60.

Paris holds the headquarters of the La Poste, France's national postal carrier.

FactSnippet No. 449,005