Are you curious to learn some weird and wonderful facts about Paris?
If so, excellent! You are in exactly the right place my friend…
It’s time to chat about Paris facts.
Let’s dive right in…
Facts About Paris
1 – Paris is the most visited city in the world.
2 – The Eiffel Tower was built to commemorate the 100th anniversary of France’s victory in the Franco-Prussian War.
3 – In 1802 Napoleon Bonaparte created a new administrative division for Paris called arrondissements that are numbered by their location from north to south.
4 – One of Paris’ most iconic attractions is Notre Dame de Paris cathedral, which dates back to 1163. Other famous landmarks include Arc de Triomphe, and Sacre-Coeur Basilica.
5 – The Louvre Museum has a collection that includes Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” and Vincent van Gogh’s “Sunflowers.”
More Facts About Paris
6 – In 2008, it was voted “the most loved city” by Condé Nast Traveler readers.
7 – Paris was founded in the 3rd century BC by a Celtic tribe called the Parisii.
8 – France has been an independent nation since 1871 when it became a republic after being ruled for centuries by monarchs from other countries.
9 – In 1802 Napoleon established a new system of measurement which became known as the metric system.
10 – There are around 200 bridges crossing the Seine River that runs through Paris.
More Facts About Paris
11 – In 1802 Napoleon Bonaparte became Emperor of France and ruled until 1814 when he was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo by British and Prussian forces.
12 – The Eiffel Tower is 324 meters tall. There are 1665 steps to climb from ground level to the top of the Eiffel Tower.
13 – It took two years, 2 months and 5 days to build the Eiffel Tower and it cost $300 million in today’s money (1887) to build. It weighs 10,100 tons in total.
14 – Notre Dame Cathedral is one of the best examples of French Gothic architecture in Europe.
15 – In 1871, Paris became a part of France when it was annexed by Napoleon III.
More Facts About Paris
16 – In 1720 there were only 20 streets with gas lamps in all of France and now there are over 2300 in just Paris!
17 – In 1793 during the French Revolution King Louis XVI and his wife Queen Marie Antoinette were beheaded at Place de la Concorde for treason against their country.
18 – The first recorded mention of Paris was in 52 BC by Julius Caesar.
19 – The city of lights has a population of 2,200,000 people.
20 – Since before the days of Napoleon, the Paris has battled the practice of les pipis sauvages, or wild peeing. To stop this practice, it’s illegal to pee in public in France.
More Facts About Paris
21 – In 1869, Baron Haussmann was appointed as prefect of the newly-formed Department of Public Works by Napoleon III to make improvements to what was then called “the imperial capital.”
22 – Many famous paintings were created while visiting or living in Paris including Whistler’s Mother (James McNeill Whistler) and Monet’s Haystacks (Claude Monet).
23 – In 2021, there were 21 million bicycles in Paris.
24 – The city has 44,000 restaurants.
25 – Napoleon III built his palace on top of what had been a royal garden which he renamed “Le Jardin du Trocadéro” after one of his victories at the Battle of Trocadero during the Peninsular War against Spain (1808).
