The Rebirth of Paris

Paris is one of the most recognizable cities in the world. With its elegant buildings and grand boulevards, its timeless beauty draws millions of visitors each year from all over the world. But for a city with over 2,000 years of history, this version of Paris is actually quite new. The City of Lights underwent a dramatic transformation in the 19th century, a vast public works project that revolutionized the city and created the Paris we know today.

Old Paris

Prior to the 1850s, central Paris was a labyrinth of narrow winding streets, much as you would find in the old quarters of most major European cities. Industrialization in the 19th century had brought many new people to Paris, swelling its population from 600,000 in 1800 to over a million by 1846. The city, largely unchanged since the Middle Ages, was ill-equipped to deal with this influx. Paris was overcrowded and living conditions were poor with poverty and disease running rampant. There was also much political and social unrest in the early 19th century. Between 1830 and 1848 alone, six armed uprisings broke out on the streets of Paris. The city was in much need of change.

In 1848, after a brief restoration of the French monarchy, Louis-Napoleon, the nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte was elected President. Within a few short years, he would follow in his uncle’s footsteps, declaring himself Emperor Napoleon III. Though there had been several previous attempts to improve conditions in Paris, it was he who would ultimately put in motion an urban development plan, the likes of which the world had never seen, that would modernize and transform the French capital.

Through his mission to aérer, unifier, et embellir (air, unify, and beautify) Paris, Napoleon III sought to build a new city that would improve the lives of all its citizens. In an 1852 speech, the emperor declared, “Paris is the heart of France. Let us apply our efforts to embellishing this great city. Let us open new streets, make the working class quarters, which lack air and light, more healthy, and let the beneficial sunlight reach everywhere within our walls.”

Baron Haussmann

Napoleon III appointed Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann to lead the project and carry out his grand vision for a modern Paris. The ambitious public works campaign planned to demolish the old, narrow streets and crumbling buildings in the city centre and replace them with new wide boulevards and modern, functional buildings. It also called for the construction of new parks, squares, train stations, theatres, and other public buildings. The project, which would end up taking over twenty years to execute, completely overhauled the city, leaving it unrecognizable.

The first stage of the renovation was the creation of a grande croisée, a great cross in the centre of Paris. Haussmann began by widening the rue de Rivoli, thus creating an east-west corridor through the city. This new boulevard was the first of many and would serve as a model for all his future boulevards. An intersecting north-south access was then built along newly constructed streets to complete the cross.

The first phase of the project was a resounding success. An 1859 parliamentary report declared that it had “brought air, light, and healthiness and procured easier circulation.” Haussmann was given the green light to proceed with stage two. This included building new railway stations which Napoleon III saw as the new gates of the city. Haussmann also built a network of boulevards to connect the stations and other parts of the city with central Paris. During this phase, Haussmann also redesigned the square surrounding the Arc de Triomphe, made repairs to several historical landmarks, including Notre Dame Cathedral and Saint-Chapelle, enlarged and modernized the Hotel de Dieu, Paris’s oldest hospital, and built several large parks, including the Bois de Boulogne.

Haussmann Buildings

Among the most distinctive and lasting features of Haussmann’s reconstruction of Paris are the Haussmann apartment buildings which he installed along his new boulevards. They were carefully designed to complement one another and create a unified streetscape. Built using local cream-coloured limestone, the facades of these new buildings adhered to strict standards in order to create a harmonious look. Each building included the following:

• A high-ceilinged ground floor with thick, load-bearing walls used for shops or offices.
• A first-floor mezzanine with low ceilings, also often used for businesses.
• A second floor with a balcony for residential apartments. The lack of elevators at that time made this the most desirable floor and as such, it had the largest and most grand apartments.
• Third and fourth floors in the same style but with less elaborate stone details and window frames.
• Fifth floor with a continuous undecorated balcony.
• Mansard roof with dormer windows. This floor was originally occupied by lower-income tenants in small apartments but later came to be used as servants’ quarters for the wealthy occupants of apartments below.

To complete his vision for a unified streetscape, Haussmann commissioned tens of thousands of pieces of “street furniture”. These elegantly designed public amenities included benches, lamp posts, kiosks, columns for posting advertisements, public toilets, fountains, and decorative gates. Designed by French architect Gabriel Davioud, these decorative embellishments, many of which can still be seen in Paris today, enhanced both the beauty and the functionality of the newly reconstructed city.

Expansion Plans

In 1860, Napoleon III annexed the suburbs of Paris, incorporating them into the city. The annexation, which included eleven communes, increased the number of arrondissements in Paris from twelve to the twenty that it still has to this day. With this came the need for a new water and sewer system to serve the growing population. And so, the labyrinth of pipes and tunnels beneath the newly constructed streets of Paris was also given an extensive makeover.

Haussmann built a system of aqueducts that doubled the amount of water available and increased the number of homes with running water. He also built a new modern sewage system to separate wastewater from clean water which went a long way to improving the sanitation of Paris and the health of its citizens. Another benefit of the improved infrastructure was the increased availability of gas for heat and lighting. Gaslights became widely used and were installed in new buildings and on sidewalks.

Haussmann’s Legacy

The second phase of construction was the largest and most ambitious. It also came with a hefty price tag. While most Parisians were pleased with the new parks and improved living conditions, Haussman began to face some harsh criticism over the mounting costs of his projects. In addition, the people of Paris were starting to grow weary of the endless construction and the disruptions that came with it.

Nevertheless, a third phase of construction began in 1869. Haussmann, however, would not see it to completion. In January 1870, Napoleon III gave in to critics’ demands and dismissed Haussman. Eight months later, the emperor was overthrown and a new French Republic (the third in less than a century) was established. Despite the criticism of Haussmann and Napoleon III, leaders of the Third Republic continued the renovation projects begun during the Second Empire and work in Paris continued until 1927.

Despite his fall from grace, Haussman’s profound impact on the landscape of Paris cannot be overstated. Paris would not be what it is today without his visionary talents. In just twenty years, he completely transformed the dark, dirty, crowded, disease-ridden Paris of the Middle Ages into a bright, beautiful, modern city that was – and still is – admired throughout the world. If you find yourself on the streets of Paris, take a moment to appreciate the brilliant planning and immense efforts that went into making it the marvel that it is today.

Further Reading

• Official photographs of Paris prior to the renovations commissioned by Napoleon III: https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2014/charles-marville