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The Famous Dead: 12 of the most famous graves in Paris

Visiting a cemetery while on vacation seems a bit daunting, maybe even ironic. However, if it is a cemetery that entombs the remains of iconic cultural figures and famous celebrities, it becomes less of a somber activity. Any anthropologist, historian, or social scientist will concur that cemeteries are a great avenue to observe local culture, religion, art, and history.

Paris has 12 main places of burial (not including the catacombs), of these there are only two outdoor churchyards within the 20 arrondisements: Charonne and Calvaire. The most well-known and frequented is the Le cimetière d’Est, which is normally called by it’s nickname Pere-Lachaise. It opened in 1804 on a former Jesuit sanctuary and welcomes over 1.5 million visitors per year. Situated …

Transformations of Le Marais

Nested along the 3rd and 4th arrondissements or districts of Paris, the neighborhood of Le Marais exudes marvelous examples of the influence from historical French aristocracy. At the turn of the 17th century, Le Marais was prime real estate, and the nobility built their urban mansions along the right side of the Seine. These projects included the construction of the stylish Hôtel de Sens, the Hôtel de Sully, the Hôtel de Beauvais, the Hôtel Carnavalet, the Hôtel de Guénégaud, and the Hôtel de Soubise.

During the 20th century, the area shifted to a bustling commercial district and became home to Jewish immigrants, particularly the Ashkenazi, and Chinese communities of Paris. In fact, the once was the site of the largest Jewish community in Europe. However, after …

French Saigon

French first entered Southeast Asia into Vietnam during the late 18th century with the intention of spreading Christianity and they set up a string of missionaries. French presence thickened in the region during the Hanoi takeover, as the French military under Pigneau de Behaine aided in the unification of the North and South.

Like most colonization efforts, the expressed purpose of conquest was to bring liberty and knowledge to underdeveloped regions affected by ignorance. History has revealed that the consequences of this philosophy were serious crimes of oppression and harshly enforced or coerced systems of labor. Not surprisingly, their true intentions were based on profit and commercial aspirations.

What makes Vietnam peculiar from many other …

Louvre - the most important public building at Paris, both architecturally and on account of its treasures of art, rises between the Rue de Rivoli and the Seine. The Louvre perhaps derives its name from an ancient rendez-vous of
wolf-hunters, known as the Lupara, Lupera, or Louverie. It is usually...

Montmartre - the most direct way of reaching the basilica of the Sacré-Cœur from the central quarters is to go by the Métropolitain to the Place d'Anvers. The Butte Montmartre is a hill famous in the annals of Paris,
rising to a height of 330 ft. above the Seine. According to tradition...

Marais is the district to the N.E. of the Hôtel de Ville, bounded by the Rue de Rivoli, Rue St. Antoine, Rue du Temple, and Boul. Beaumarchais. In the Rue des Francs-Bourgeois, in the W. of this quarter, are the Archives Nationales, established in the old Hôtel de Soubise. This building occupies...

The Cité is the most ancient part of Paris. Here lay, in the time of Caesar, the Gallic town of Lutetia Parisiorum. The Paris of the Romans and the Franks was confined to the same site, with the addition of a small settlement on the left bank of the Seine. At a later period the town gradually extended...

Quartier Latin - the quarter on the left bank of the Seine, to the S. of the Cité, which comprises the 5th Arrondissement (Pantheon) and the E. portion of the 6th (Luxembourg), is well known by the name of the Quartier Latin. From time immemorial learned societies have had their headquarters here...

St. Germain - the quarter on the left bank opposite the Louvre and the Tuileries, within the 6th Arrondissement (Luxembourg) on the E. and the 7th (Palais-Bourbon) on the W., is the residential centre of the French noblesse, whose stately mansions are found principally in the W. portion. Until...