Built between 1862 and 1875 by Charles Garnier , the Paris opera is a baroque example of neoclassicism: It has an ornamented facade, monumental stairs and Italian type hall with Chagall paintings on the ceiling. Maria Callas and Rudolf Noureev are among the many artists who wrote its history as one of the world foremost scenic stages for opera and ballet alike. Since the opening of the Opera Bastille in 1989, the Opera Garnier is devoted to ballets.
In front of the opera , the Place de l' Opera is a superb example of Haussman 's urbanism. Baron Haussman completely reshaped Paris during the second half of the 19th century by opening large boulevards.
The very animated district around the opera saw the world first movie projection by the Lumière brothers in 1895. In the district, brasseries like le Grand Café Capucines (4, boulevard des Capucines ) will make you spend a delicious evening in Paris . And don't miss the Rue de la Paix near-by and its jewelleries .
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Opera House and Masterpiece
"The Palais Garnier is the thirteenth theatre to house the Paris Opera since it was founded by Louis XIV in 1669. It was built on the orders of Napoleon III as part of the great Parisian reconstruction project carried out by Baron Haussmann. The project for an opera house was put out to competition and was won by Charles Garnier, an unknown 35-year-old architect. Building work, which lasted fifteen years, from 1860 to 1875, was interrupted by numerous incidents, including the 1870 war, the fall of the Empire and the Commune. The Palais Garnier was inaugurated on 15 January 1875." The large building has a total area of 11 000 square meters (118,404 square feet) and a vast stage with room for up to 450 artists .
Legend has it that the Empress EugÈnie asked Garnier whether the building was to be in Greek or Roman style to which he replied ``It is in the Napoléon III style Madame !'' It remains an ornate building richly decorated with friezes, columns, and winged figures among other statues and embellishments.This richness continues inside with velvet, gold leaf, and nymphs and cherubs. The auditorium's central chandelier weighs over six tons, and its ceiling was painted in 1964 by Chagall .
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Excavation of the site in the Parisian ninth arrondissement began in late 1861. Construction was an enormously complicated affair, involving teams of stone masons, carpenters, ironworkers, roofers, plumbers, glazers and mosaicists. The building's vast outer shell was virtually complete by 1869, but further work was postponed by the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, which ended with the fall of the Second Empire and the emperor's humiliating abdication. Although the Opera was widely associated with the ill fortunes of Napoleon III's reign, Garnier succeeded in convincing the new leaders of the Third Republic that it was an important symbol of the nation's cultural heritage and should be completed without delay. The building opened to the public in January 1875 and has continued to be a Parisian landmark.
Garnier's Opera occupies a significant place in architectural history because of its unusual combination of classical and newly introduced industrial elements. Structurally, the building is a composite of traditional masonry walls and a technically innovative framework of iron girders. Yet although Garnier was quick to grasp the practical utility of such modern inventions as structural iron and electric lighting, he was unable to shed the conservative esthetic of his Beaux-Arts training. Judging metal materials to be useful but visually distasteful, he insisted that the Opera's iron framework be hidden behind a facade of opulent marble and hand-carved stone ornamentation. Today, one of our chief sources of information about the remarkable technological underpinnings of the Opera is the extensive series of photographs of the building's construction that Garnier commissioned from the Paris firm Delmaet & Durandelle.
In 1810, the column that we see today was placed in the centre of the place Vendome . 44 metres high, it was dedicated to the soldiers of the battle of Austerlitz , inspired by Trajan's column in Rome . Cast in the bronze from 1200 cannons seized from the Russian and Austrian armies, it is decorated in classical style with bas reliefs representing trophies.
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Number One Place Vendome is one of the most exclusive addresses in Paris and it could be yours if you choose to stay at Vendôme in the very heart of the city. All the great landmarks are neighbours and Rue Saint Honoré , famous for its perfumiers and jewellery shops , runs adjacent on its northern side.
Behind the graceful elevation is an hotel of imagination, contrasting interiors and high tech surprises. Each of the 29 bedrooms is a brilliant exemplar of colour and style: Classic, Baroque, Art Deco and so on. All have the latest hi-tech amenities installed: video phone, access to the Internet and a voicemail system you can access from anywhere in the world. Great big picture windows have quadruple-glazing to completely silence the buzz of Paris . For all that, the original classic opulence is faithfully preserved in the English piano bar, and the
comfortable informal restaurant where you can enjoy refined French and International cuisine.
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