Carnavalet is a garbled form of the name of the former owner of the house, the widow of the Sire de Kernevenoy, a Breton. The house was built in the 16th century, probably by Pierre Lescot, the architect responsible for the Renaissance façade of the Louvre (see entry). The main doorway, with carvings of lions […]

One of the largest and best known parks in Paris is the Tuileries (Jardin des Tuileries). When Catherine de Médicis had a palace built in 1563 on a site extending along the whole length of what is now Avenue du General-Lemonnier, close to the Louvre (see entry), she named it the Tuileries after the tile-works […]

In spite of its situation on the western edge of the European mainland Paris is a hub of international communications.
Thanks to the siting of its rail terminals and the construction of its underground system, the Metro (Chemin de Fer Métropolitain), Paris has been preserved from the fate of other large cities whose historical centres have […]