Roger Sellos

After profoundly transforming Paris, the Second Empire ended in a climate of diplomatic tensions, political pressures, and national tragedies. This period, often overlooked by visitors, is nevertheless essential to understanding the history of the capital. 1. Why did Napoleon III go to war when he did not want to? Contrary to popular belief, Napoleon III did not want war against Prussia. He finds himself caught up in a chain of events that he no longer controls. An explosive European...

Gabriel Davioud: the artist who gave his style to Paris When Napoleon III and Haussmann set out to transform Paris, they surrounded themselves with an architect of exceptional talent : Gabriel Davioud . Although less well known to the general public, he is one of the most important creators of Second Empire Paris . His work is everywhere in the capital: bandstands, fountains, public benches, lampposts, railings, balustrades, theatres, squares, pavilions … For tourists from all over the...

The man who brought nature into Paris. While Haussmann is the most well-known name in the transformation of Paris, another man played an equally essential role: Adolphe Alphand. As a civil engineer and director of parks and gardens in Paris, he was the true landscape architect of the Second Empire , the one who imagined and shaped the great Parisian parks that tourists from all over the world come to admire. For thirty-seven years , Adolphe Alphand shaped the landscape of the capital,...