Paris abounds in the history of more than 2,000 years old

legacy of wars, enriched culture and high-class literature with

poetry, prose, drama and world-class architectural designs to

amaze the world. The Gauls of the Parisii tribe settled here in

Paris around 250 and 200 B.C. They went on to find a fishing

village on an island situated in the river which is the "Ile de la

Cite" of the present day. This was the main center around

which the entire city of Paris was built and structured.

Paris was known as "Lutetia" (Lutece) in the medieval times

and was occupied by Julius Caesar in 52 B.C. Paris continued

to subsist as a regional center under the influence of the

Romans during the early Middle Ages. In 987, the Count of

Paris named as Hugh Capet became the King of France.

Under his successors and clan which came to be known as

the Capetians, Paris continued to flourish as the national capital

city of France. The people of Paris were considered to be

rebellious and high-spirited as they went on to declare

themselves as an independent commune in 1355-58 under the

leadership of Etienne Marcel. In 1789, the storming of the

Bastille was the first in the series of actions which was

accelerated by the people of Paris and this came to be known

as the French Revolution. During the years 1830 and 1848,

Paris played a major role in the French Revolution as it

became the center of all prime activities which took place on

the social, economic, political domains of the revolutionary

period.

In 1871, the capital city of France witnessed an oncoming war

known as the Franco-Prussian War under the influence of

which the city was encircled and besieged unless France

surrendered after four months. It was only after the withdrawal

of the German troops that the French radicals began to

establish the Commune of Paris. The Germans were prevented

from entering Paris during the World War I. However, they did

manage to occupy the city during the World War II during the

period of 1940 to 1944. Paris again became the center spot for

violence as it also witnessed the student's riots of 1968.

The Paris we see today is the fashion hub of the world and

the most romantic city in the world. Paris today maintains its

charm, character, and importance in the real world. Its physical

appearance has been transformed by mega-structures like

Beaubourg and several other grand projects including reforming

the city into architectural perfection under the presidency of

Mitterrand. In addition to the Bastille Opera and the La

Defense arch, the projects of Mitterrand included te renovations

of the Louvre by the architect named I.M Pei. Many more

projects undertaken by him to renovate the entire capital city

were in the southeast region, the La Villette complex which was

located in the northeastern province of the city, a great

computer-era library, the Bibliotheque de France and much

more.

The history of Paris also abounds in the excellent town

planning of which it boasts in the world even today. Planning

of the city of Paris and the Paris Basin region included the

consideration of large areas of land around the Seine River

valley all the way to the mouth of the River. As the history of

Paris made its way into modernization, Paris witnessed building

up of new parks, lanes, towns, industrial locations and many

more displays of architectural excellence on both sides of the

River Seine.