La Défense

Today we rode the Metro to the end of Line 1 to have a look at La Défense.  We had seen it from a distance many times, but we decided we should probably go see it up close before we leave the city.  The business district is called La Défense not because it has anything to do with military defense, but because in the center of the district is a statue called La Défense de Paris, which commemorates those who defended Paris during the Franco-Prussian War.

The most recognizable structure in the district is the Grande Arche.  Built in 1989, it is 350 feet tall -- the entire cathedral of Notre Dame could fit underneath it.

The monumental building was one of François Mitterand's Grands Projets, a major scheme to add modern buildings to the city.  A Danish architect won the design competition to build a monument inspired by the Arc de Triomphe. 

Government offices are housed in the two sides of the arch.  You used to be able to ride an elevator to the top observation deck, but the outdoor elevators were poorly designed and have been shut down for now.

From the marble steps of the Grande Arche you can see all the way to the Arc de Triomphe.  The Grand Arche, Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysées, the obelisk at the Place de la Concorde, the Tuileries Garden, and the Louvre are all in a straight line called the Axe Historique (historical axis).

The La Défense district is home to some other interesting buildings as well.  The CNIT (Center of New Industries and Technologies) building was one of the first structures built in the area, in 1958.  An enormous concrete shell covers 200,000 square meters of office and retail space.  But what makes it interesting is that the space is entirely open -- there are no support beams to disrupt the interior space.

This very modern-looking church is the Notre-Dame de Pentecôte, built in 2001.

There are more than 50 sculptures and public artworks placed around the esplanade.  Clockwise: L'araignée rouge (The Red Spider) by Alexander Calder, Le Pouce (The Thumb) by César Baldaccini, and an untitled monumental ensemble by Joan Miró.

The thumb photo is not mine, I forgot to take a photo so had to find one via google images

I probably wouldn't describe La Défense as a must-see in Paris.  But after seeing so many 19th century (and older) buildings in Paris, it was a nice change of pace to spend an hour or so looking at more modern architecture.