Grande Arche
Wednesday, 21st December 2005 by James Turnbull
The Grande Arche is a modern Parisian monument which mirrors the Arc de Triomphe. From above it has the appearance of a giant cube although it is in fact an arch, there's good panoramas and pictures on From Paris.
Thanks: UnjourenOz, Thomas van Longerich & Julien G
Okay, the building itself is beautifull, however… why do the French think they have to build a new triumph arch? for spoiling some athols in the south pacific?
the old one’s kinda remembered for something else now….
what’s at this other arch? They call it “La Defense” or something. What do they do there?
yes, la Défense. it’s the business and financial center of paris. There are lots of big corproation headquarters there.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_D%C3%A9fense
I’m french and it is just to say that L’arche de la Défense has no signification. It’s just an architectural business building.
Sorry for my english…
Yeah, it’s just a giant cube with an elevator. I think the greatest thing there is all that part of the city. All those buildings are futuristic! What I found even funnier was that the metropolitan that goes there still has rubber tires. Yes, rubber tires…
some photos of the building are viewable here http://flickr.com/photos/vrs/1737898/in/set-44809/
http://photos1.blogger.com/img/82/5072/640/IMG_0346.jpg
Pedro, yes, rubber tires for the oldest trains, but have you seen modern metros, as on the line 14 ?
a flickr pic of mine here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/russau/37753230/in/set-833077/
you can just make it out in this ‘panoramique’ pic of paris: http://www.arnaudfrichphoto.com/english-version/e-paris-panoramique-360-110-text.htm
and a train with rubber/pneumatic tires! 🙂 http://www.flickr.com/photos/russau/37752541/in/set-833077/
Krazitchek, I don’t know cause I’ve been in Paris in 1998. But I’d like to think that those old trains were there on purpose. It’s like going to the future (la Défense) thru the past (old trains).
This building has this form because when you are at “La concorde”, on the other side of the Champs Elysée you see the “Arc de Triophe” into “La grande Arche de la défense”. It’s a perspectiv : http://altert.family.free.fr/pere/phparis/samav16.jpg (picture is not well good)
This monument is at the end of the historic axes :
If you go on the south-east-east, you will go out of the financial suburbs “La Defense”, through (follow of) The Champs Elysée Boulevard. You will enter in the “Place de l’étoile” (star place) where there is the “arc de Triomphe”. Then you will be in the main & famous part of the Champs Elysée. After that, there is the Concorde Obelisc (Egyptian), then a big Garden (Jardin des tuileries) and “Le louvre” (the museum & his glass pyramid).
Tout le monde parle en anglais ici, parlez un peu en francais les mecs lol^^