During the Middle Ages the fortress style of the romanesque buildings was refined and improved by French masons and architects. The first Gothic buildings appeared in the late 12th with the rebuilding of the Basilica Saint Denis…
0 Read MoreModern French politics remain characterized by a Left/Right division of the country even though the border between the two has been recently blurred.
0 Read MoreThe Renaissance style refers to the style of the historic period primarily marked by King Francois I…
0 Read MoreAs the fourth economic power, France’s standard of living and level of comsumption are very similar to those in the USA.
0 Read MoreThe exuberance of the Absolute Monarchy preponderant in the 17th century led to enormous baroque edifices…
0 Read MoreOver 61million foreign tourists in 1996, making France the number one worlwide destination!
0 Read MoreAfter the Revolution of 1789, architecture in France found inspiration in classic Greek and Roman models. Both the Arc de Triomphe and the Arc du Carrousel are examples of the Napoleonic inclination for Classicism…
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Notre-Dame de Reims is the Reims Cathedral, where the kings of France used to be crowned. It replaced an older church (burned in 1211) built on the site of the basilica where Clovis was baptized by Saint Remi, bishop of Reims, in A.D. 496. The cathedral was completed by the end of the 13th century, with the exception of the west front (illustration, right).
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Marianne is a national emblem of France. She is present in many places in France and holds a place of honor in town halls and law courts. She symbolizes the “Triumph of the Republic”, a bronze sculpture overlooking the Place de la Nation in Paris. Her profile stands out on the official seal of the country, is engraved on French euro coins, and appears on French postage stamps; it was also featured on the former French franc coins and banknotes.
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The Battle of Normandy in 1944, codenamed Operation Overlord, was the invasion of Nazi occupied Western Europe by the western allies. With almost three million troops crossing the English Channel from England to Normandy in France, it still ranks as the world’s largest seaborne invasion.
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