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Paris
History |
Paris Facts and Trivia (Part 1 of 2)Here are a few fun facts about Paris:Every body is dying to go there Napoleon established the Père Lachaise Cemetery in 1804, after inner city cemeteries had been banned in the 1780s, due to health concerns. At first, he could get no customers, as it appeared to be too far from the city proper.
So, with great fanfare, the remains of the famous lovers Abélard and Héloise were transferred there in the year it opened. The publicity paid off and within a short time, the population jumped from a few dozen to over 30,000. The cemetery is known as the last resting place of major figures in the arts world, ranging from Sarah Bernhardt, that diva of the stage; author Oscar Wilde; American-born dancer Isadora Duncan; and of course, Jim Morrison of the Doors. On seeing the grave, one of Morrison's fellow band members declared it was "too short", and ever since, there has been a rumour that the grave is empty. They had a lot of "gaul"Contrary to what some may think, the city was not named after Paris, the King of Troy's son who fell in love with Helen, and carted her home.Instead, it was got its name from the Parisii, a tribe of Gauls who settled on the Ile de la Cité between 250 and 200 B.C. That's brilliant!No, Paris is not called the City of Lights due to the wattage put out from the Eiffel Tower every evening.The "Lights" of Paris actually referred to the intellectual residents which made Paris a world-renowned centre, drawing other artists, writers and sculptors. But the lightbulbs help. You may be surprised to learn that the Eiffel Tower... [Continued]
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For Beginners Copyright © 2004 M. Feenstra, Den Haag. All rights reserved. | ||||||||