Paris is the capital of France since the 17th century. Paris has been one of Europe's major centres of finance, commerce, fashion, science, music, and painting.
History[]
In late 19th- and early 20th-century known as the Belle Époque, Paris' wealth was growing rapidly, and it became increasingly concentrated.
- In the 1860s, Paris streets and monuments were illuminated by 56,000 gas lamps, giving it the name "The City of Light."
- The most memorable Parisian civic event during the period was the funeral of Victor Hugo in 1885; The Arc de Triomphe was draped in black.
- The most memorable feature is the Eiffel Tower, 300 meters tall when it opened serving as the gateway to the Universal Exposition of 1889.
- The 1900 Paris Olympics ( known as the Games of the II Olympiad) was held as part of the 1900 World's Fair.
Paris became the birthplace of modern art and public cinema projections. Many notable artists lived and worked in Paris during the Belle Époque, often in Montmartre:
- The Moulin Rouge, known as birthplace of the modern form of the can-can dance, is close to Montmarte in the district of Pigalle on Boulevard de Clichy in the 18th arrondissement, it is marked by the red windmill on its roof.
