The Place of Revolution

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The Place of Revolution

February 24, 2025

The Place of Revolution

The Bastille Theatre, built on the site of the former Bastille prison, is unforgettable and located nearby but in the opposite direction. Anyone who has studied or read about French history is sure to be familiar with this legendary prison, which is inextricably linked to France’s fate. On July 14, 1789, the people of Paris stormed the prison, launching the revolution that overturned the feudal system. Then, that particular day became France’s National Day.

The brilliant writer Victor Hugo selected this location as one of the locations for his classic work “Les Misérables.”

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This location, known as Bastille, also hosts an outdoor market every Thursday and Sunday. I sometimes come here to buy grapes, pears, apples, and even butter and cheese because they are much cheaper and fresher than at the supermarket; I also come here to look about and see some familiar scenery from home…

The traffic, streets, and bridges were all novel to me when I first visited Paris many years ago. Every time I went outdoors, I had to learn how to utilize the métro, buses, and read a map to get about. I gradually joined the crowd of Parisians.

Friends in Paris have recently observed that the city has regained its vibrancy since France has chosen a strategy of living with Covid, keeping its doors open, as opposed to the months when the Covid epidemic was widespread and everything was shuttered.

Keep remembering. When the Eiffel Tower was opened in early 1889, some referred to it as a “monster of architecture,” yet it is now widely recognized as a symbol not just of Paris but also of France as a whole. I once felt the chilly body of the “iron lady who never ages,” proudly soaring high above the Paris sky, and I ascended to the second level of the tower several times to enjoy the amazing, gorgeous scenery of the city below. It’s hard to forget…

Remember clicking heels on the glorious Champs-Élysées, which is home to the Arc de Triomphe? I’ve heard that there is a positive change happening here. According to the travel website Condé Nast Traveler, Ms. Anne Hidalgo, the city mayor, approved a $305 million proposal to repair the road and turn it into a pedestrian-friendly green area in early 2021.

According to a redevelopment plan managed by an architectural firm in partnership with the Champs-Élysées committee (a form of neighborhood group), car traffic will be reduced by half, sidewalks will be enlarged, and more flora will be planted. In order to develop little islands that can be used as soothing green rest spots.

Outdoor cafes will take up greater space, as will children’s play facilities and sporting activities. Even ancient cobblestones from the reign of the Sun King, Louis XIV, may be removed to alleviate noise pollution. The project is scheduled to be finished by 2030, with the first phase unveiled during the Summer Olympics in Paris in 2024.

According to the website europe1.fr, Paris underwent a profound transformation during a cholera outbreak in 1832 that killed 19,000 citizens, the majority of whom were poor, in just six months. Back then, as now, the elite of the French capital retreated to their second homes in the countryside for safety.

There were also allegations at the time that the cholera pandemic was a conspiracy against the common people, as immortalized by the famous writer Victor Hugo in the novel “Les Misérables.” These were also the people who rose up, building barricades in the streets to keep soldiers from entering the rebellious districts.

Napoleon III replied by directing Baron Haussmann to reconstruct Paris, making it a capital free of plagues and riots. The impoverished communities and heavily clogged highways were eliminated. As a result, wide, pollution-free roads were built, enabling for convenient troop movements.

An underground sewer system was also constructed; the poor who relied on their livelihoods in the city center were compelled to relocate to the outskirts of the capital. However, it is now reported that Paris’ authorities are attempting to return their descendants to the ancient location where their grandparents and parents once lived!

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