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This is the view down the Champs de Mars toward the Tour Montparnasse. When the Eiffel Tower was constructed in 1889 (for the World's Fair that commemorated the centenary of the French Revolution), it was considered by many to be a simply hideous demonstration of modern technology -- the steel-framed skyscraper that would soon change the profile of cities like New York and Chicago. Paris was not about to allow that to happen here. The plan was to dismantle the Tower a few years after the Exposition of 1889. As we know, the Eiffel Tower has survived. Paris has also added the Tour Montparnasse we see on the skyline here and under whose shadow is our hotel this year, the Michel Montparnasse. With these two exceptions, the city of Paris is free of skyscrapers. They have been banished to a zone just outside the city known as La Défense. |
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This page last updated on 5/30/2001 1:45:58 AM.