Short History of Paris

Gauls of the Parisii tribe settled in Paris between 250 and 200 BC and founded a fishing village on an island in the river that is today Ile de la Cité which is the center around which Paris developed.

Aged more than 2,000 years old and known as Lutetia (Lutece) in ancient times, Paris was conquered by Julius Caesar in 52 BC and existed as a regional center under the Romans and in the early Middle Ages.

The Count of Paris, Hugh Capet, became King of France in 987. And under his successors, the Capetians, the city's position as the nation's capital was established. In 1355-58, the people of Paris first declared themselves an independent commune under the leadership of Etienne Marcel.

During the French Revolution, the storming of the Bastille in 1789 was the first of a series of key actions by the Parisian people. Paris also played an important role in the revolutions of 1830 and 1848.

Later in 1871, the city was besieged for four months until France surrendered during the Franco-Prussian War. French radicals briefly established the Commune of Paris after German troops withdrew. During the World `War I, the Germans were prevented from reaching Paris, but in World War II from 1940 to 1944, they occupied the city.

Today, though Paris's appearance is being transformed by structures such as the Beaubourg and by the ambitious "grands projets" building program carried out under the presidency of Françoise Mitterrand, Paris still maintains its importance, character and unique charm.