The “Place de la Bastille” is a square in Paris. At its centre stands the July Column which commemorates the events of the July Revolution (1830). Many concerts, political demonstrations and other similar events take place here.

At the place where the square is built today, a four storied fortress surrounded by a moat, was originally present. Standing at the eastern entrance to Paris, it had eight towers, two drawbridges, two courtyards and residential buildings. Walls and towers of the fortress were of the same height and width which were connected by a broad terrace. This feature had a great military importance as it enabled soldiers on the walls to rapidly move to another place without going down the towers. It also facilitated the easy transportation of artillery from one place to another.

Fortress was also used as a prison. People were arrested and locked up without any form of trial. Common criminals and those imprisoned for religious reasons were held there in dirty cells.  People of high rank were sometimes held there too but these were given special treatment.

The prison was stormed on 14 July 1789 by a group of around 8800 men and women. After unsuccessful negotiations, the protestors entered the castle and took control of the fortress. They got hold of all the gunpowder and released the seven prisoners. Though the governor and the 120 guards present there surrendered they were murdered brutally.

Some people wanted to keep this fort as a memorial, but entrepreneur Pierre-Francois Palloy quickly took license for its demolition by highlighting its commercial value to the provisional government and the municipality of Paris. By November 1789, the structure was largely demolished and the cut stones were used in the construction of “Pont de la Concorde.”

Opera Bastille was built on the site previously occupied by the fort. The moat has been converted into a port so that people can enjoy boating there. There is also a Café Français whose cellars were once a part of the fortress. Original outline of the Bastille is also marked with special brown stones on the pavement of streets and sidewalks.

After reading the description of the Bastille, you might want to visit the fortress. But not a single stone is now left. Though there is Opera de la Bastille here you might be disappointed to know that this is not the original Bastille!

Maison de Victor Hugo is a museum, operated by the the City of Paris, which preserves the house that Victor Hugo lived in for 16 years from 1832–1848. The museum is in the Place des Vosges and dates from 1605 when a lot was granted to Isaac Arnauld in the south-east corner of the square. It was substantially improved by the de Rohans family, who gave the building its current name of Hôtel de Rohan-Guéménée. Victor Hugo was 30 when he moved into the house in October 1832 with his wife Adèle. They rented a 280 square metre apartment on the second floor. The mansion was converted into a museum when a large donation was made by Paul Meurice to the city of Paris to buy the house.
The museum consists of an antechamber leading through the Chinese living room and medieval style dining room to Victor Hugo’s bedroom where he died in 1885.

Originally known as the Place Royale, the “Place des Vosges” was built by Henri IV from 1605 to 1612. Situated in Marais district of Paris, it is the oldest planned square in Paris. “Baptiste du Cerceau” designed the building in the form of a square with all other construction bordering the square follow the same design. The result is a symmetrical layout of houses with red brick and white stone facades, steep slate roofs and dorm windows, all constructed over arcades.

The square was officially inaugurated in 1612 as the 'Place Royale'. The King’s pavilion was present on the southern side and the Queen's pavilion was present on the northern side. In 1639 a statue of King Louis XIII was erected at the center of the square. It was destroyed during the French Revolution and a new statue was reinstalled in 1825.

In 1800 Napoleon changed the name of the square from 'Place Royale' to 'Place des Vosges' to show his gratitude towards the Vosges department which was the first to pay taxes to the new French government. Many famous Frenchmen lived here including “Richelieu”, prime minister of France in 1624 and Victor Hugo, a famous author.

The house, now called 'Maison de Victor Hugo' is turned into a museum. You can visit the rooms where Victor Hugo wrote most of 'Les Misérables'. His life from childhood to his exile between 1852 and 1870 has been depicted using souvenirs, drawings and books. Many art galleries are also present at this most prestigious address.

The Place des Vosges is now a peaceful place with a nice central park surrounded by shops and cafes. It is elegant with a classically French style, and is a pure and unique example of early 17th century architecture. Inside the square, the splendid fountains still have the name of King Louis XIII who was in power when the square was completed in the 1600s.

During daytime, a secret door on the southwest corner of the square allows entry to the incredible Hotel de Sully Gardens. There is a courtyard across another passage displaying beautiful statues the depict the four seasons. Walking along the perimeter of the square under the spectacular arches, having a drink at Café Hugo and dining at Ma Bourgogne or La Guirlande de Julie – could be very exhausting but definitely worth trying.

The Carnavalet Museum in Paris is dedicated to the history of the city. The museum occupies two neighboring mansions: the Hôtel Carnavalet and the former Hôtel Le Peletier de Saint Fargeau. On the advice of Baron Haussmann, the civil servant who transformed Paris in the latter half of the 19th century, the Hôtel Carnavalet was purchased by the Municipal Council of Paris in 1866; it was opened to the public in 1880. Inside the museum, the exhibits show the transformation of the village of Lutèce, which was inhabited by the Parisii tribes, to the grand city of today with a population of 2,201,578. The Carnavalet houses about 2,600 paintings, 20,000 drawings, 300,000 engravings and 150,000 photographs, 2,000 modern sculptures and 800 pieces of furniture, thousands of ceramics, many decorations, models and reliefs, signs, thousands of coins, countless items, many of them souvenirs of famous characters, and thousands of archeological fragments.

Georges Cain (1856-1919) was an artist and an author. He spent much of his life, from 1897 to 1914, serving as a guardian of the Carnavalet Museum. In appreciation of his services, in 1923 a square was built, bearing his name, which now holds an archaeological collection of long vanished monuments of the past and astonishing antique stone relics. In the center of the Square stands a bronze statue known as "Dawn", the work of Laurent Magaier, dating back to the 17th century.

In the summer, the statue is surrounded by beautiful orange roses. The Square and the garden serve as a soothing oasis not too far away from the buzz of the city. It is an ideal resting place for tourists before and after visiting the Carnavalet Museum and/or the nearby Picasso Museum.

The Square has a children's playground and a central lawn open to the public since 1931. You can sit on a bench and enjoy a picnic lunch, or surf the net and check your emails courtesy of the free WIFI service available there.

Square of Georges Cain with sweet smelling roses and outstanding tulips will surely be one of your favorite places in Paris. If you like to capture natural objects in their pure form, make sure not to forget your camera.

The Musée Picasso is an art gallery located in the Hôtel Salé in rue de Thorigny, in the Marais district of Paris. The hôtel particulier that houses the collection was built between 1656 and 1659 for Pierre Aubert. The architect was Jean Boullier from Bourges. It is considered to be one of the finest historic houses in the Marais. The Musée Picasso contains more than 3000 different works of art by Pablo Picasso including drawings, ceramics and paintings. This is complemented by Picasso's own personal art collection of works by other artists, including Cézanne, Degas, Rousseau, Seurat, de Chirico and Matisse. It also contains some Iberian bronzes and a good collection of primitive art. One of the most impressive aspects of the museum is that it contains a large number of works which Picasso painted after his seventieth birthday.

Yvon Lambert Gallery hosts collections of contemporary and avant-garde art by a lot of international artists including many American artists. Their unusual exhibitions attract lots of visitors that are looking for some really special pieces of art to admire.

Hier, Aujourd'hui, et Demain is a shop in Le Marais neighborhood where you can find an array of bibelots and different art objects and one of the biggest collections of colored glass in Paris. You can shop for works of 19th century glass-makers like Daum, Galle or Legras.

Passage de Retz is an avant-garde gallery open since 1994 that hosts a series of impressive exhibitions by local and international artists. There are collections of Japanese textiles, American abstract expressionist paintings, contemporary Haitian paintings, and much more.

The Rue des Rosiers, which means "street of the rosebushes", is a street in the 4th arrondissement of Paris, France. It begins at the Rue Mahler and proceeds west-northwestward across the Rue Pavée, the Rue Ferdinand Duval, the Rue des Écouffes, and the Rue des Hospitalières-Saint-Gervais, before it ends at the Rue Vieille du Temple. During the last ten years, the Rue des Rosiers has become notable for fashion. The quaint boutiques of days-gone-by have given way to gleaming minimalist showrooms for some of Europe’s trendiest labels. Not following the Western holiday schedules, Rue de Rosier shops have become the meeting point for Parisians who want to eat out and shop on Sunday, Christmas or during any of the off days.

The Agoudas Hakehilos synagogue commonly referred to at the Pavee synagogue was erected in 1913 by the architect Hector Guimard, and inaugurated on June 7, 1914. This synagogue was commissioned by the Agoudas Hakehilos, society composed of Orthodox Jews of primarily Russian origin, headed by Joseph Landau. Its erection is a testament to the massive wave of immigration from Eastern Europe that took place at the turn of the 20th century. Funded by this wealthy Polish-Russian group it did not cost the Parisian community a centime. They intended to provide a spacious and modernized place for Jews accustomed to the intimate and often squalid shtiblakh. The furnishings (luminaires, chandeliers, brackets, and benches) as well as the stylized vegetal decorations made of staff and the cast iron railings are all creations of Hector Guimard. This was the only religious building by this architect, who was known for his Art Nouveau designs.

“Saint Paul - Saint Louis Church” is one of the oldest buildings of Jesuit architecture in Paris. Many classical elements such as Corinthian pillars and heavy ornamentation are featured here. It was completed in 1641and was greatly inspired by the baroque-style introduced by Romans.

Salient feature of the church is a 195-foot dome which is best viewed from inside because the columns of the three-tiered church’s front elevation hide the dome. The church is designed marvelously with clean classical architectural lines that run through the nave and side aisles. Arches have been decorated with astounding Baroque decorations while sculptures have been posed and paintings been drawn in the style liked by the Jesuits in the 17th century.

Louis XIII laid the foundation of the church in 1627. In 1641, Richelieu said the first Mass in the presence of the royal family. The church was badly damaged during the French Revolution as the invaders stole majority of the artifacts and collectibles. Remaining masterpieces were broken by them brutally, depriving the church of its precious assets. Some important work left unharmed can be seen near the entrance. St Paul-St Louis also briefly served as a "Temple of Reason" under the Revolutionary government which had banned traditional religion.

Nearly 250 years after its construction, St Paul-St Louis was finally re-consecrated as a church in 1872 and since then serving the city as one of its local community churches.

Hotel de Sens is one of the three medieval residences still standing in Paris. It was built between 1474 and 1519 as a residence for the bishop “Tristan de Salazar”. Mixed architectural styles within this house show the transitions that occurred between Medieval and Renaissance styles over time.

The architecture of Hotel de Sens shows elements of defense. There are turrets (armored tower) built for spying, a square tower served as a dungeon, the arched entryway with slopping passages built into it from where boiling water can be poured on invaders. In 1695, Queen Margot was sent to live here by her husband. Known for her eccentricity and lavish tastes, Queen Margot pursued many love affairs here. She is even rumored to have collected the hair of her lovers to fashion wigs from them. Later, from 1689 through to 1743, it was the office of the Lyon stage coach for parcels and deliveries and had a full title of “Siege de Messageries, Coches and Carroisses de Lyon, Bourgogne et Franche Comté”. After the Revolution it was occupied by art students and which turned it into a jam factory.

In 1883, the Paris Council created a library here that specialized in art and art techniques. Soon it became a very popular place for artists, bronze workers and architects. An industrialist “Samuel Fornay” donated 200,000 francs for the education of young artists. It is in the honor of this man that the “Bibliotheque Fornay” got its name. In 1929, after major renovations, the library was changed into Hotel de Sens.

During your visit to Paris, stop here to admire this medieval residence's elegant formal gardens and dramatic design. Sit down on one of the garden benches to relax away from the hustle and bustle of the city surrounding you.