Belle Époque, World Wars & Present

Belle Époque (1871–1914)

The period between the Franco-Prussian War and World War I was pure Parisian splendor: The Eiffel Tower (1889), the Moulin Rouge (1889), the first Metro line (1900), the World Exhibitions (1889, 1900), the Impressionists, the Art Nouveau architecture — Paris was the center of the world. Toulouse-Lautrec painted in Montmartre, Debussy composed, Sarah Bernhardt performed theater.

Two World Wars

In the First World War (1914–1918), Paris was threatened by German troops but never conquered — the Battle of the Marne (40 km away) saved the city. In the Second World War, German troops occupied Paris on June 14, 1940. Four years of occupation followed — deportations, collaboration, and resistance. On August 25, 1944, General Leclerc liberated Paris with the 2nd Armored Division — Hitler had ordered the city to be destroyed, but Major General Dietrich von Choltitz refused the order. Paris remained intact.

Present

The May 1968 unrest shook Paris and the world — student revolt, barricades in the Latin Quarter, general strike. The spirit of '68 still shapes the political self-image of Parisians today. In recent decades: the Centre Pompidou (1977), the Louvre Pyramid (1989), the Grande Arche de la Défense, the Musée du Quai Branly, the Philharmonie — Paris continues to build. The 2024 Olympic Games brought a new boost: renovated sports venues, new bike paths, the Seine clean enough to swim in again.