The 19th century brought a remarkable transformation to Paris, shaping much of the city as we know it today.
Baron Haussmann, the prefect of Paris, spearheaded a sweeping urban renewal project.
He dismantled the medieval quarters of the city, justifying the project on sanitary, traffic and security grounds, as 7 uprisings had taken place in Paris between 1830-1848 and there were numerous epidemics of cholera.
In total, 19,000 buildings were demolished and 34,000 new ones created!
Haussmann reshaped Paris with an extensive network of new streets, boulevards and avenues, including Rue de Rivoli, Boulevards de Strasbourg, Sebastopol, Voltaire, Magenta, Malesherbes, Arago, Raspail, Haussmann, Saint-Germain, and Avenues des Gobelins and Philippe-Auguste.
He also built iconic squares such as Place de la République, Place de l'Étoile, Place de la Nation, Place de l'Opéra, Place de l'Europe, Place du Trocadéro, and Place Victor Hugo.
He created the Opera, 5 theatres, 6 city halls, 19 churches, 10 covered markets, 3 train stations, the Prefecture de Police, the Palais de Justice, and the Tribunal de Commerce.
He enhanced the city’s green spaces with the creation of parks like the Bois de Boulogne, Bois de Vincennes, Buttes-Chaumont, and Parc Montsouris, along with 24 public gardens and the planting of 600,000 new trees.
He updated the city's water supply and sewage system.
He annexed 11 suburbs including Montmartre, Belleville, Charonne...
As a result of these changes, Paris’s population surged from 400,000 to 1.6 million inhabitants.
One of Haussmann's most enduring legacies is the uniformity in Parisian architecture.
He mandated that all buildings be constructed from the same stone, adhere to a uniform height, and follow a cohesive architectural style.
This consistency has come to define the distinctive architectural style of Paris as we know it today.
