Eiffel Tower & Vicinity

The Ecole Militaire (Military Academy; originally the school for training officers of the royal army) stands at the opposite end of the Champ-de-Mars from the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The building was designed by Jacques-Ange Gabriel and built in two stages between 1759 and 1782. With its clear and uncluttered architectural forms it is a fine example of early neo-classicism.In 1785 a young officer graduated from the officers' training school established by Louis XV with a report from his superiors that "in certain circumstances he might go far". The young officer took advantages of the circumstances of his time and went a long way as Napoleon I, first Emperor of the French.Behind the north front of the main building on Place Joffre (statue of Marshal Joffre) is the Grand Courtyard (Cour d'Honneur).

Maison La Roche (1923-24) as it is known, is in fact a "double house" more correctly called the La Roche-Jeanneret house. This pair of semi-detached houses was only Corbusier's third Parisian commission and today houses the Foundation Le Corbusier where one can obtain information on the great modern master. The houses are laid out at right angles to each other and face onto a fore-court which, like a traditional atrium, helps maximize the amount of building frontage to light. The spatial and formal composition employs strong cubist elements juxtaposed with the project's main feature: a curved two story gallery space complete with ramp access to the second floor.

The UNESCO Building is the headquarters of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, to which over 170 countries now belong. Designed by an international team of architects - Marcel Breuer (USA), Pier Luigi Nervi (Italy) and Bernard Zehrfuss (France) - the building represents a piece of modern architectural history. The main hall of the conference building (1955-58), trapezoid in shape, has a mural by Picasso, "The Victory of Light and Peace over Darkness and Depth" and two walls (the "Moon Wall" and the "Sun Wall") with ceramic decoration by Joan Miró. The building also contains bronze reliefs by Hans Arp and tapestries by Le Corbusier. Outside there are a "Recumbent Figure" by Henry Moore (UK) and a black steel mobile by Alexander Calder (USA). In the Japanese garden is an angel's head, a relic of a church in Nagasaki destroyed by the atom bomb.

The Champ-de-Mars (Field of Mars), originally (1765) a military training ground, is now a large park-like area between the Eiffel Tower and the Ecole Militaire.In 1780 Paris's first horse race, between a British and a French rider, was held here. In 1783 and 1784 the Champ-de-Mars was the scene of two spectacular (unmanned) balloon flights. During the French Revolution the Festival of Federation was celebrated here on July 14 1790, when Louis XVI and representatives of all the French provinces swore to uphold the new constitution, which established a constitutional monarchy on the British model; and it was here too, after the royal family's unsuccessful attempt to flee from Paris, that the Paris mob called for their death. In 1794 the painter Jacques- Louis David organized a festival in honor of the "Supreme Being" (Etre Suprême) who was to be worshipped in the new state religion proclaimed by Robespierre. This was the climax of Robespierre's reign of terror: four months later he too lost his head on the guillotine. In 1867, 1878, 1899, 1900 and 1937 a series of international exhibitions were held on the Champ-de-Mars, extending in each case along the banks of the Seine.

The Museum of Fashion in Paris contains clothing and professional uniforms from 1735 to the present day.The fashion exhibits are displayed in rotation and usually in two major exhibitions each year. These shows can highlight a particular couturier's career or explore a single theme.

Along rue la Fontaine just down the street from the modern ORTF (National Radio and Television) building is a street with a high concentration of distinctive Art Nouveau buildings.

This boat tour of Paris departs every 30minutes from 10am to 11pm daily. Departures at 10.30am, 11.30am, 1.30pm, 5.30- 8pm and 10-11pm may be cancelled. There is lunch daily at 1pm, afternoon coffee (with music) at 3.45pm and dinner at 8.30pm.

The cemetery of Passy in Paris contains the graves of prominent people who have died since 1870, including Edouard Manet, Jean Giraudoux, Gabriel Fauré, Claude Debussy, Tristan Bernard and Fernand.

The Parisian home of the author of the Human Comedy. He lived here from 1840 to 1847. There are documents, manuscripts, portraits and letters from the writer.

This Paris museum contains information on the history and news of radio and television of the studios of Radio-France.

Le Village Suisse features 100 shops with high price levels.