# FRANCE - By Emarg



## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

*FRANCE*​ 





Welcome to the new thread of *France*, a new part of the collection of threads of the countries and cities of the world:








 Argentina (Country)
Argentina: Buenos Aires
Andorra
Belgium
Brazil
Chile
Colombia
England: Country
England: London
France
Germany
Ireland
Italy
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Northern Ireland
Panama
Perú
Portugal
Scotland
Spain
Switzerland
Uruguay
USA: Boston
USA: California
USA: New York
Wales






*NORMANDY*

-*Mont Saint Michel: Overview of the Fortified City*


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

*Mont Saint Michel *


















*City: Mont Saint-Michel
Region: Normandy
Set: Overview of the City*





The Mont-Saint-Michel is a tidal island and mainland commune in Normandy, France. The island is located about one kilometer off the country's northwestern coast, at the mouth of the Couesnon River near Avranches and is 7 hectares in area. The mainland part of the commune is 393 hectares in area so that the total surface of the commune is 400 hectares (988 acres). As of 2015, the island has a population of 50. The commune's position—on an island just a few hundred metres from land—made it accessible at low tide to the many pilgrims to its abbey, but defensible as an incoming tide stranded, drove off, or drowned would-be assailants. The island remained unconquered during the Hundred Years' War; a small garrison fended off a full attack by the English in 1433. Louis XI recognised the reverse benefits of its natural defence and turned it into a prison. The abbey was used regularly as a prison during the Ancien Régime. Mont Saint-Michel and its bay are on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. It is visited by more than 3 million people each year. Over 60 buildings within the commune are protected in France as monuments historiques.


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)




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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)




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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

^^


Video:


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice new thread and photos, EMArg :applause:


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## diddyD (May 12, 2014)

Gorgeous images.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

I would like to see more from France, Emarg


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

Thanks! I'm editing the other stuff, so more will come soon.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

^^ OK


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

*Paris: City Overview*



With a population of almost 14.000.000 residents, since the 17th century Paris has been one of Europe's major centres of finance, diplomacy, commerce, fashion, science and arts. The City of Paris is the centre and seat of government of the Île-de-France, or Paris Region, which has an estimated official 2020 population of 12,278,210, or about 18 percent of the population of France. The Paris Region had a GDP of €709 billion ($808 billion) in 2017. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit Worldwide Cost of Living Survey in 2018, Paris was the second most expensive city in the world, after Singapore, and ahead of Zürich, Hong Kong, Oslo and Geneva. Another source ranked Paris as most expensive, on a par with Singapore and Hong Kong, in 2018. The city is a major railway, highway and air-transport hub served by two international airports: Paris-Charles de Gaulle (the second busiest airport in Europe) and Paris-Orly. Opened in 1900, the city's subway system, the Paris Métro, serves 5.23 million passengers daily; it is the second busiest metro system in Europe after the Moscow Metro. Gare du Nord is the 24th busiest railway station in the world, but the first located outside Japan, with 262 million passengers in 2015. Paris is especially known for its museums and architectural landmarks: the Louvre was the most visited art museum in the world in 2019, with 9.6 million visitors. The Musée d'Orsay, Musée Marmottan Monet, and Musée de l'Orangerie are noted for their collections of French Impressionist art, the Pompidou Centre Musée National d'Art Moderne has the largest collection of modern and contemporary art in Europe, and the Musée Rodin and Musée Picasso exhibit the works of the two noted Parisians. The historical district along the Seine in the city centre is classified as a UNESCO Heritage Site, and popular landmarks in the city centre included the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris, now closed for renovation after the 15 April 2019 fire. Other popular tourist sites include the Gothic royal chapel of Sainte-Chapelle, both on the Île de la Cité; the Eiffel Tower, constructed for the Paris Universal Exposition of 1889; the Grand Palais and Petit Palais, built for the Paris Universal Exposition of 1900; the Arc de Triomphe on the Champs-Élysées, and the Basilica of Sacré-Coeur on the hill of Montmartre.


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)




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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)




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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)




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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

^^


Video:


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice photos from Paris, Emarg


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## diddyD (May 12, 2014)

A very good update - and video.


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

Thanks


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

*Paris: Eiffel Tower*




Constructed from 1887 to 1889 as the entrance to the 1889 World's Fair, the Eiffel Tower was initially criticised by some of France's leading artists and intellectuals for its design, but it has become a global cultural icon of France and one of the most recognisable structures in the world. The Eiffel Tower is the most-visited paid monument in the world; 6.91 million people ascended it in 2015. The tower is 324 metres (1,063 ft) tall, about the same height as an 81-storey building, and the tallest structure in Paris. Its base is square, measuring 125 metres (410 ft) on each side. During its construction, the Eiffel Tower surpassed the Washington Monument to become the tallest man-made structure in the world, a title it held for 41 years until the Chrysler Building in New York City was finished in 1930. It was the first structure to reach a height of 300 metres. Due to the addition of a broadcasting aerial at the top of the tower in 1957, it is now taller than the Chrysler Building by 5.2 metres (17 ft). Excluding transmitters, the Eiffel Tower is the second tallest free-standing structure in France after the Millau Viaduct. The tower has three levels for visitors, with restaurants on the first and second levels. The top level's upper platform is 276 m (906 ft) above the ground – the highest observation deck accessible to the public in the European Union. Tickets can be purchased to ascend by stairs or lift to the first and second levels. The climb from ground level to the first level is over 300 steps, as is the climb from the first level to the second. Although there is a staircase to the top level, it is usually accessible only by lift.


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

^^



Video:


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

Thanks


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

*Paris: Galeries Lafayette Haussman*






Located in the Boulevard Haussman, just 2 blocks away from the Opéra Garnier, the Galleries Lafayette is one of the hubs for luxury stores in Paris. It's widely known for its exquisite Art Nouveau interior of colourful balconies and its central dome.


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)




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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

^^



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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

*Paris: Arc de Triomphe*




The Arc de Triomphe is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Place de l'Étoile—the étoile or "star" of the juncture formed by its twelve radiating avenues. It honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I. As the central cohesive element of the Axe historique (historic axis, a sequence of monuments and grand thoroughfares on a route running from the courtyard of the Louvre to the Grande Arche de la Défense), the Arc de Triomphe was designed by Jean Chalgrin in 1806; its iconographic programme pits heroically nude French youths against bearded Germanic warriors in chain mail. It set the tone for public monuments with triumphant patriotic messages. Inspired by the Arch of Titus in Rome, Italy, the Arc de Triomphe has an overall height of 50 metres (164 ft), width of 45 m (148 ft) and depth of 22 m (72 ft).


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

*Paris: Gare du Nord*





The Gare du Nord is one of the six large terminus stations of the SNCF mainline network for Paris, France. It serves train services toward regions north of Paris, along the Paris–Lille railway. Near Gare de l'Est in the 10th arrondissement, the Gare du Nord offers connections with several urban transport lines, including Paris Métro, RER and buses. By the number of travelers, around 222 million per year, it is the busiest railway station in Europe by total passenger numbers. The Gare du Nord is the station for trains to Northern France and to international destinations in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The station complex was designed by the French architect Jacques Hittorff and built between 1861 and 1864.


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

^^



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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

*Paris: Hôtel des Invalides*





Les Invalides is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans, the building's original purpose. The buildings house the Musée de l'Armée, the military museum of the Army of France, the Musée des Plans-Reliefs, and the Musée d'Histoire Contemporaine, as well as the Dôme des Invalides, a large church, the tallest in Paris at a height of 107 meters,[1] with the tombs of some of France's war heroes, most notably Napoleon.


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)




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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)




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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

^^



Video:


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

*Paris: Gare de L'Est*






The Gare de l'Est, officially Paris-Est, is one of the six large SNCF termini in Paris. It is in the 10th arrondissement, not far from the Gare du Nord, facing the Boulevard de Strasbourg, part of the north-south axis of Paris created by Georges-Eugène Haussmann. It is one of the largest and the oldest railway stations in Paris, the western terminus of the Paris–Strasbourg railway and the Paris–Mulhouse railway which then proceeds to Basel, Switzerland.


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

^^


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

*Paris: Louvre Museum*





The Louvre is the world's largest art museum and a historic monument in Paris. The museum is housed in the Louvre Palace, originally built as the Louvre castle in the late 12th to 13th century under Philip II. Remnants of the fortress are visible in the basement of the museum. Due to urban expansion, the fortress eventually lost its defensive function, and in 1546 Francis I converted it into the primary residence of the French Kings. The building was extended many times to form the present Louvre Palace. In 1682, Louis XIV chose the Palace of Versailles for his household, leaving the Louvre primarily as a place to display the royal collection, including, from 1692, a collection of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture. In 1692, the building was occupied by the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres and the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, which in 1699 held the first of a series of salons. The Académie remained at the Louvre for 100 years. During the French Revolution, the National Assembly decreed that the Louvre should be used as a museum to display the nation's masterpieces. The museum opened on 10 August 1793 with an exhibition of 537 paintings, the majority of the works being royal and confiscated church property. Because of structural problems with the building, the museum was closed in 1796 until 1801. The collection was increased under Napoleon and the museum was renamed Musée Napoléon, but after Napoleon's abdication, many works seized by his armies were returned to their original owners. The collection was further increased during the reigns of Louis XVIII and Charles X, and during the Second French Empire the museum gained 20,000 pieces. Holdings have grown steadily through donations and bequests since the Third Republic. The collection is divided among eight curatorial departments: Egyptian Antiquities; Near Eastern Antiquities; Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities; Islamic Art; Sculpture; Decorative Arts; Paintings; Prints and Drawings.


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)




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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)




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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

^^




Video:


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates about Paris


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

Thanks


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

*Toulouse: Gare de Matabiau*





Toulouse-Matabiau is the main railway station in Toulouse, southern France. It is in the city centre and connected to the Toulouse Metro. The station is situated on the Bordeaux–Sète railway, Toulouse–Bayonne railway, Brive–Toulouse (via Capdenac) railway and Toulouse–Auch railway. Direct trains run to most parts of France. The station is centred on two main concourses at the front of the station directly linked to each other, with ticket offices, shops and cafés. Underpasses link these concourses to the platforms. The station is connected to the underground Marengo SNCF station on Line A of the Toulouse Metro, accessible from inside and just outside the station.


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## EMArg (Aug 2, 2013)

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