By Floriane Gaber
My name is Floriane. I have always been interested in the arts in public spaces; I have devoted several books to it. Today I am a tour guide and I take visitors to discover Paris. I have had the chance to visit around sixty countries and, each time, I have asked myself: “What makes this place really special?” ". My new project is therefore to write a series of articles on the theme “How to put a city on the map?”
14 articles published
Notre Dame was not just a church
When the cathedral was inaugurated in the 13th century, its size met the needs of a prosperous city, but it was far from being the first religious building on the eastern tip of the Île de la Cité (main island in the middle of the river Seine). It was also far from being just a […]
Notre Dame: An Open Book
When you visit Notre Dame, what do you see? How old are the stones, the paintings, the stained-glass windows? After the terrible fire of April 2019, the recent renovation in no way restored or reconstructed the medieval cathedral “identically.” Over the centuries, numerous alterations had indeed transformed the original appearance of a building that was […]
In the Basement of Notre-Dame
The cathedral itself is a composite monument, whose various structural and decorative elements date from the 12th to the 21st century. But its basement holds many other surprises, notably revealed by the work of archaeologists working on the renovation of Notre-Dame following the fire of April 15, 2019. The spire culminating in the crossing of […]
History, Paris Olympics, Sports
Ceremonies, medals and all that stuff
The opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games must take place on the Seine*. An exceptional fact because, since the restoration of the modern Olympics, this event generally takes place in a stadium. The medals, for their part, will be three in number (gold, silver, bronze). But do we know that the rewards have not […]
History, Paris Olympics, Sports
Chariots of Fire
In 1900 in Paris, the British completely dominated tennis, both individually and in doubles, notably by fielding the very first woman medalist at the Olympics. But it is within “mixed” teams that they establish themselves in polo. The notion of “nation” is not yet fixed at the Games and athletes from several countries can compete […]
Asterix at the Olympics
Asterix is a small cartoon character, symbol of Gallic resistance against the Roman invaders. During one of his adventures, he found himself propelled to Olympia, the historic cradle of the Games. Many years later, during the Olympics organized in 1900 in Paris, French athletes particularly distinguished themselves. It must be admitted that they made up […]
Tarzan at the Olympics
From their first participation (at the Athens Olympics in 1896), American athletes imposed their supremacy, with 11 gold medals. In 1900, the very large proportion of French athletes propelled them to the top of the ranking, but in 1924, it was again the USA which had the greatest number of victories and an overwhelming majority […]
Games for everyone?
Low-class competitors were not the only ones to suffer a form of ostracism during the Olympic Games organized in Paris in 1900 and 1924. Women and people of color were also subject to particular treatment, with some being surprised of their prowess, with others openly criticizing their participation in the Games. And in this matter, […]
Did you say “popular”?
In 1900, the types of sports (recognized or not by the IOC*) indicated a divide between the participants, the audiences and the places where the competitions took place. Paris is thus, in a way, “cut in two”: elite sports in the West and popular sports in the East. Line 1 of the metro, inaugurated for […]
Olympic or not?
Of the 477 events organized in Paris in 1900 as part of the International Physical Exercise Competitions*, only 95 were subsequently approved by the IOC. Whoever wants to claim the title of “Olympic sport” cannot claim to be. Looking at contemporary rankings, it must be admitted that certain disciplines do not fail to amaze. Among […]
Paris, Olympic city
Historically, Parisian heritage sites have been the setting for sporting competitions. Once again, the 2024 Olympics will rely heavily on these spectacular environments to create unique settings. But a few months before the launch of the event, certain points still remain to be resolved. Will the “city of lights” rise to the challenge? A bullfight […]
Paris invaded by the Olympics
If the Olympiads of the Republic were confined to the Champ de Mars at the end of the 18th century, the second edition of the modern games, much more ambitious in 1900, struggled to find its place in a city cluttered by the Universal Exhibition and used places not particularly dedicated to sport. In 1924, […]
