Paris is renowned for its iconic landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, but there’s more to this city than meets the eye. FRANCE 24 English takes you on a journey beyond the well-trodden tourist paths to explore lesser-known attractions and share fascinating facts about the French capital. From the vibrant neighborhood around the St Martin Canal to the eerie Catacombs beneath the city’s streets, this video reveals the secret side of Paris that many visitors, and even locals, often overlook.
- The St Martin Canal is a lesser-known waterway in Paris, offering a vibrant neighborhood with trendy bars and cafes, especially lively on Sundays when nearby roads are car-free.
- The canal’s construction, completed in 1825, was part of a project to bring fresh water into Paris, with parts of the canal running underground.
- Every 10 years, the canal is drained for cleaning, revealing an assortment of objects ranging from mopeds to television sets and even historical artifacts.
- The Arago line, a series of bronze medallions marking the Paris Meridian, runs through the capital, including through famous sites like the Louvre.
- Paris has over 6,000 streets, with numbering systems based on their orientation to the River Seine.
- The Catacombs of Paris hold the remains of 6 million people, moved there in the late 18th century to address overflowing cemeteries and water contamination.
- Paris is home to 300,000 dogs, producing 20 tons of dog poop per year, with a €135 fine for not cleaning up after them.
- The Louvre Museum has 460,000 objects, but only displays 38,000 at any given time.
- Women in Paris were officially allowed to wear trousers without police authorization only in 2013, lifting a ban from the French Revolution era.
- The Bloody Mary cocktail was invented in Paris in the 1920s, at Harry’s Bar, a favorite spot for expatriate writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway.
France 24 is an international television network and news website owned by the French state.
Official website: https://www.france24.com/en/
Original video here.
This summary has been generated by AI.
Leave a Reply