# From the Past to the Future - Following the Historical Axis of Paris



## Reverie (Nov 23, 2007)

The Axe Historique, from Wikipedia :

The Axe historique (historical axis) is a line of monuments, buildings and thoroughfares that extends from the centre of Paris, France, to the west. It is also known as the "Voie Triomphale" (triumphal way).

The Axe Historique began with the creation of the Champs-Élysées, designed in the 17th century to create a vista to the west, extending the central axis of the gardens to the royal Palace of the Tuileries. Today the Tuileries Gardens (Jardins des Tuileries) remain, preserving their wide central pathway, though the palace was burned down during the Paris Commune, 1871.
Between the Tuileries' gardens and the Champs Élysées extension a jumble of buildings remained on the site of Place de la Concorde until early in the reign of Louis XV, for whom the square was at first named. Then the garden axis could open through a grand gateway into the new royal square.
To the west, the completion of the Arc de Triomphe in 1836 on the Place de l'Étoile at the western end of the Champs Élysées formed the far point of this line of perspective, which now starts at the central block of the Musée du Louvre, passing the modern-day glass Pyramide du Louvre of I.M. Pei.
The axis was extended again westwards along the Avenue de la Grande Armée, past the city boundary of Paris to La Défense. This was originally a large junction, named for a statue commemorating the defence of Paris in the Franco-Prussian War.

In the 1950s, the area around La Défense was marked out to become a new business district, and high-rise office buildings were built along the avenue. The axis found itself extended yet again, with ambitious projects for the western extremity of the modern plaza.

It was not until the 1980s, under president François Mitterrand, that a project was initiated, with a modern 20th century version of the Arc de Triomphe. This is the work of Danish architect Johann Otto von Spreckelsen, La Grande Arche de la Fraternité (also known as simply La Grande Arche and, L'Arche de la Défense), a monument to humanity and humanitarian ideals rather than militaristic victories. It was inaugurated in 1990.

The Seine-Arche project is extending the historical axis to the West through the city of Nanterre, but with a slight curve.












_Google Earth_











_Google Earth_


1 – The Louvre
2 – The Arc du Carrousel
3 – The Tuileries gardens
4 – Place de la Concorde - Obélisque
5 – Place Clemenceau - Grand Palais
6 – The Champs-Elysées (17th century)
7 – Place de l’Etoile - Arc de Triomphe (Arc de Triomphe : 1836)
8 – Place de la Porte Maillot
9 – Avenue Charles de Gaulle - Neuilly-sur-Seine
10 – Puteaux - Courbevoie
11 – La Défense - Grande Arche




*1 – The Louvre *(from the 13th century to the 18th century ; The Pyramid : 1988) - _Point 0_











The Louvre seen from the Montparnasse Tower_Koakoo / Google Earth_











_?_











Aile Richelieu - _Gloumouth1 / Wikipedia_











_?_



*2 – The Arc du Carrousel *(1809) - _0,35 km / 0.22 mile_











_Dan McKay / Wikipedia_



*3 – The Tuileries gardens *(from the 16th century to the 19th century)











_Arnaud Frich / arnaudfrichphoto.com_











_?_











_ludovic.ruat / Google Earth_











Thésée et le Minotaure - _l'anarchiste / Google Earth_











_TheBlues / Google Earth_




*4 – Place de la Concorde - Obélisque *(18th century) - _1,32 km / 0.82 mile_










_Arnaud Frich / arnaudfrichphoto.com_











Assemblée Nationale (Palais Bourbon) seen from Place de la Concorde - _NunoCarsodo / flickr_




*5 – Place Clemenceau - Grand Palais *(Grand Palais : 1897) - _1,90 km / 1.18 miles_











The Grand Palais - _Stefano Martelli / Google Earth_











The Petit Palais - _Vivien Kenji / Google Earth_











The entrance to the garden of the Elysée Palace (official residence of the French president) - _Felipe Vilella Sánch / Google Earth_











Alexander III bridge - _Arnaud Frich / arnaudfrichphoto.com_











Les Invalides seen from Alexander III bridge - _Tumaniyar / Wikipedia_




*6 – The Champs-Elysées *(17th century)











_andrevishay / Google Earth_











_J.J. Targa/ Google Earth_




*7 – Place de l’Etoile - Arc de Triomphe *(Arc de Triomphe : 1836) - _3,45 km / 2.14 miles_











_Skyscrapercity - ?_











_AlexMatos / Google Earth_











_Benh Lieu Song / Google Earth_




*8 – Place de la Porte Maillot *- _4,48 km / 2.79 miles_











Place de la Porte Maillot seen from the Hôtel Concorde Lafayette - _Jcharles / Google Earth_











The Palais des Congrès - _Erik Wickstrom / Google Earth_











Hôtel Concorde Lafayette / Chapelle Notre-Dame de la Compassion - _alexandrealari / Google Earth_




*9 – Avenue Charles de Gaulle - Neuilly-sur-Seine*











_paris infopoint / Google Earth_











Sisyphus - _Voltarene / Google Earth_




*10 – Puteaux - Courbevoie *











_Eric Rougier / Fromparis.com_











_Calin Ionescu / Google Earth_




*11 – La Défense - Grande Arche *(La Défense : since 1958 ; La Grande Arche :1989) - _8,27 km / 5.14 miles_











_Atoma / Google Earth_











_Samfu / Google Earth_











_Lars H / Google Earth_











_xhosaxhosa / Google Earth_











_Eric Constantineau / Google Earth_











_Calin Ionescu / Google Earth_











_Calin Ionescu / Google Earth_











_Arnfried Zerche / Google Earth_











_Anek / Google Earth_











_Anek / Google Earth_











_Eric Rougier / Fromparis.com_











_Delanoue / Google Earth_











_Fernando Lami / Google Earth_











_Eric Constantineau / Google Earth_











_im gonna groove / Google Earth_











_Leandro Pires / Google Earth_











_Eric Rougier / Fromparis.com_











_MichelM / Google Earth_











_rehali / Google Earth_











_yahann / Google Earth_











The precision of the historical axis - _ZacharyS / Wikipedia_











_Arnaud Frich / arnaudfrichphoto.com_











_Arnaud Frich / arnaudfrichphoto.com_


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Nice thread, my friend :cheers: if you had/have pics about old Paris (1900's and oldest) about those monuments it will be GREAT!
Anyway thanks for those pics kay:


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## Teriyaki (Mar 4, 2008)

My pictures of LA DEFENSE shot from la grande arche towards arc de triumphe


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## krone23 (Feb 3, 2008)

Nice Paris...the most beautiful city of the world :cheers::cheers::cheers:


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## tricolor87 (Jan 10, 2007)

I love Paris!


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