Champs-Elysées & Vicinity

Built, like the Grand Palais, for the Paris Exhibition of 1900, the Petit Palais shows the same architectural features as its larger neighbor. It has a magnificent main doorway with rich sculptural decoration, with a dome soaring above it.

The Palais de la Découverte (Palace of Discovery) in Paris is housed in the west wing of the Grand Palais. It seeks to present in a practical way the history of the natural sciences and their results and applications. There are separate rooms devoted to astronomy, physics, chemistry, biology and medicine in which visitors can carry out experiments for themselves. Notable features are the large hall devoted to our solar system and the Planetarium (presentations at 2, 3.15 and 4:30 p.m.). There are other presentations and film lectures at 2:30 and 4 p.m. (conducted tours in French only).The Planetarium opened in 1979 and has a 200 seat theater.

The famous Place de l'Etoile (étoile = "star"), in the center of which is the Arc de Triomphe, has officially been called Place Charles de Gaulle since 1970, but to most Parisians it is still Place de l'Etoile. Here 12 avenues converge in the form of a star on a circular place which is surrounded by architecture of the time of Haussmann. The 12 imposing buildings round the square were designed by Hittorff. The names of the streets recall illustrious figures of the Empire. From the platform on top of the Arc de Triomphe there are wide views over Paris and also a bird's eye view of the traffic eternally circling the square below.

Avenue Alexandre-III in Paris runs south between the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais to the Pont Alexandre-III (107.5m/118yds long), built 1896-1900 for the Exhibition of 1900. Richly decorated with allegorical statues (regilded 1989), it affords fine views, particularly of the Dôme des Invalides.

The National Library in Paris houses the national collection of books, periodicals, manuscripts, prints, maps and plans, coins and Oriental manuscripts. It organizes periodic special exhibitions on the history of books and art.

Like other buildings dating from the time of Napoleon, such as the Arc de Triomphe and the Madeleine, the Stock Exchange (by A.-T. Brongniart, 1808-27) is Neo-Classical in style. The original plan was in the form of a Greek temple; the side wings, giving it a cruciform ground plan, date only from 1902-03.Trading in the Exchange reaches its peak around midday. From the gallery (reached by stairs in the vestibule on the left) visitors can watch the hectic activity of the brokers and speculators. Most of them will understand little of what is going on, and will welcome the audio visual aids which give an introduction to the work of the Exchange; for information, apply in the gallery.

This gallery is dedicated to Bourse, Paris Stock Exchange, with its role in the economy and money in activity.

The Théâtre Français, France's oldest national theater, is the home of the Comédie Française, the national theatrical company.The Comédie Française, founded by Louis XIV in 1680, originated from the troupe headed by Molière until his death in 1673. In 1812 Napoleon issued a decree making it a State company whose director was - and still is - appointed by the government.The company's theater was built between 1786 and 1790 and occupied by the Comédie Française in 1792. After being burned down in 1799 it was rebuilt in 1807. The present facade dates from 1867, the interior from the turn of the century, following thorough restoration and enlargement from 1900 onwards. In the foyer are Molière's chair, in which he died after suffering a haemorrhage, and Jean-Antoine Houdon's well- known bust of the ageing Voltaire (1781).The Comédie Française confines itself mainly to the classical French repertoire, including the dramas and comedies of Corneille, Racine, Molière, Marivaux and Beaumarchais, together with such modern classics as Paul Claudel, Jean Giraudoux, Jean Anouilh and Samuel Beckett.

On Place du Louvre, at the east end of the Louvre, are the Mairie of the first arrondissement and the former royal parish church of Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois, dedicated to St Germanus, bishop of Auxerre.The present church shows a mixture of styles, with a Romanesque tower (12th C), from which the bells tolled to signal the Massacre of St Bartholomew on August 24, 1572, a Gothic choir (13th C), a nave and porch in Flamboyant (Late Gothic) style and a Renaissance doorway (1570). The finest feature is the porch (1435-39), a striking example of Late Gothic architecture. In the interior, note the fine stalls (by Le Brun, 1684) for the royal family.Many artists who worked for the French kings of the 17th and 18th centuries are buried in this church, among them the architects Louis Le Vau and Robert de Cotte, the painters François Boucher, van Loo, Jean-Siméon Chardin and Jean-Marc Nattier and the sculptors Antoine Coysevox and the brothers Nicolas and Guillaume Coustou.

The Grand Palais - now rivalled by the Centre Pompidou - is the setting of Paris's most important art exhibitions, devoted either to the work of individual artists (e.g. Monet, Matisse, Chagall, Miró, Picasso, Gauguin, Renoir) or to particular periods (e.g. Impressionism, Symbolism) or countries. Other regular shows held here are the Salon d'Automne, FIAC (the Foire Internationale d'Art Contemporain) and the Salon des Antiques (Antiques Fair).The Grand Palais was built for the 1900 International Exhibition. It has an Art Nouveau interior, with a structure of iron and steel; the exterior is predominantly neo-Baroque. The mighty glass dome is 43m/141ft high.The west wing of the Grand Palais is occupied by the natural history museum called the Palais de la Découverte, which was installed here in 1937.

At the northeast corner of the Tuileries Gardens in Paris, to the left of the Place de la Concorde entrance, is the Jeu de Paume, originally a court for a game similar to tennis known as the jeu de paume (from paume, "palm", with which the ball was struck). The Jeu de Paume was built in 1851, under the Second Empire, but was considerably altered in 1931.Until 1986 the Jeu de Paume housed the Louvre's world-famous collection of Impressionists, now displayed in the Musée d'Orsay. After being remodelled by Antoine Stinco the Galerie National du Jeu de Paume reopened in June 1991. Its 2,000sq.m/21,500sq.ft of exhibition space, on two floors, now house periodic special exhibitions of contemporary art.

One of the most renowned fashion streets in Paris, Avenue Montaigne branches off the Champs-Elysées at the Rond-Point and runs, straight as a die, to Place de l'Alma on the banks of the Seine. The old mansions in this street are now occupied by the great haute couture houses - Chanel, Nina Ricci, Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Valentino, Guy Laroche - whose fashion shows attract wealthy Parisiennes.

Between Place de la Concorde and the Champs- Elysées in Paris are the "Horses of Marly", two fine Baroque sculptures by Guillaume Coustou which were set up here in 1796.In the lower part of the Champs-Elysées are bronze sculptures of corpulent figures by the Colombian sculptor Botero, presented to the city by Mayor Jacques Chirac at the beginning of the 90s.

The museum contains displays of material and spiritual life of the Armenian from 800 BC to contemporary creation.

This is a museum of dental art and the collections of paintings dated from 17th century.

The Musée de la Contrefaçon in Pariscontains showcases and panels of authentic objects and forgeries.

The showcase presents more than 50 pieces from the Puiforcat collections from 17th C to 20th C.

The Bibliothèque de la Chambre in Paris is an economics and business library.

The Musée National d'Ennery in Paris contains Chinese and Japanese art.