Often called the City of Lights, Paris is an incredible place to see. Growing from the small village that it used to be on the Seine River into the metropolis that it is today, Paris is the largest city in France and one of the most influential in the world. As the center stage for the French Revolution it became a center of science, arts, fashion, and commerce. In fact, the Paris region accounts for nearly 30% of France’s GDP and it is one of the wealthiest regions in Europe. It is also well known for its museums like the Louvre and Musée d’Orsay. Of course, no visit to Paris would be complete without taking a close up look at the Eiffel Tower, possibly the most famous French icon in the world. Given that France is by far the most visited country on Earth, it would make sense that Paris also sees its fair share of visitors and tourists. Seeming to go on for miles into the horizon, there are truly endless things to see and do in this amazing city. So whether you are just obsessed with French culture or you are considering moving here, these are 25 reasons that Paris is an amazing and interesting city!
Featured Image: pexels
25
During World War I, the French built a "fake Paris" to fool the Germans
Source: worldwarhistoryonline.com 24
Jim Haynes is a man who lives in Paris and every Sunday he invites up to 60 strangers to his flat for dinner. You can sign up on his website (in the source).
Source: jim-haynes.com, Image: pixabay 23
Paris has a counterfeit museum where the best fakes of various items are displayed
Source: placesinfrance.com, Image: wikipedia 22
Under the Nazis, Picasso smuggled bronze into Paris so that he could continue with his art
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia 21
Le Chabanais is a brothel that King Edward VII was often seen at. He allegedly filled bathtubs with champagne and then took baths with the prostitutes
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia 20
King Edward's bathtub was eventually given to Salvador Dali in the 1950s
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia 19
Keeping with the motto "Only Paris is worthy of Rome and only Rome is worthy of Paris", both Paris and Rome are exclusive sister cities. This means that neither city will partner with anybody else
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia 18
For 70 years the rent was paid on a locked and unoccupied apartment in Paris. When the owner died, a 2 million Euro painting was found inside.
Source: telegraph.com, Image: pdpics.com 17
The famous French writer, Guy de Maupassant, would always eat his lunch directly beneath the Eiffel Tower. Because he hated the tower so much, this was the only place he could eat without having to look at it.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia 16
In order to get through Paris quickly, when the Allies liberated the city they threw themselves a parade.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia 15
About an hour from Paris, in the town of Émancé, there are a bunch of wild kangaroos roaming about. They are the result of a failed burglary at the local zoo in the 70s.
Source: smh.com, Image: wikipedia 14
The mummy of Ramesses II was once flown to Paris for inspection. It was issued a passport that listed the mummy's occupation as "king, deceased"
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia 13
The Count of Monte Cristo was supposedly based on the true story of Pierre Picaud who was framed, arrested, given the location of a hidden treasure, and then following his release he returned to Paris as a wealthy and anonymous man to reap revenge on his framers
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia 12
The book Paris in the 20th Century by Jules Verne made very accurate and diverse predictions about the future. It included skyscrapers, feminism, email, and suburbs
Source: depauw.edu, Image: pixabay 11
In 2005, Paris passed a resolution banning Tom Cruise from becoming an honorary citizen of the city due to his connections with scientology
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia 10
les UX (The Urban Experiment) is a secret group in Paris that goes around restoring ancient crypts and monuments. The police even have a unit dedicated to tracking them through the sewers
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia 9
Just before the Allies liberated Paris, Hitler gave orders to destroy the city. The Nazi official in charge of Paris, however, ignored the order
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia 8
In 1926, Symon Petliura, a Ukrainian politician, was shot 5 times in broad daylight in downtown Paris. After the shooter was finished, a police officer walked over and asked the shooter quietly if it was enough.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia 7
Philibert Aspairt was a hospital worker during the French Revolution who entered the Paris Catacombs, got lost, died, and was only found 11 years later
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia 6
The Grand Mosque of Paris provided Jews with Muslim identity cards during World War II and even sheltered them
Source: nytimes, Image: wikipedia 5
Paris Syndrome is a psychological disorder that affect Japanese tourists when they visit Paris and realize it is not the romantic, genteel, and high class place they thought it was. Symptoms include dizziness, rapid heart rate, and fainting.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia 4
The Japanese embassy even has a hotline that visitors can call and every year a dozen or so tourists have to be repatriated with medical attention
Source: wikipedia, Image: pexels 3
The Paris sewer system was once cleaned using giant rolling balls that would push the water ahead of themselves
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia 2
Going according to city propers, Paris is not the largest French speaking city in the world, and neither is Montreal. Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is actually the largest.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia 1
In 1976 there was an event in Paris (Judgment of Paris held by Steven Spurrier, a British wine merchant) that blindly compared California wine to French wine. Nobody thought it would be possible but the Californian wine won in every category. The French media refused to report the results and Steven Spurrier was banned from holding such events by the French wine industry for the shame he brought them.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia Lists Going Viral Right Now
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