Interesting facts about Paris: all the most unusual and fascinating

The capital of France from time immemorial was considered a real treasure of the nation with centuries-old culture and incredible charm. Every year it is visited by millions of tourists who want to get to know the most amazing places. If you ask the citizens to tell about the most interesting facts about Paris, you can hear many inspirational stories about fashion, wonderful cuisine and the Arc de Triomphe. But there are more fascinating details about which they will not write in the guidebooks.

Eiffel Tower and unusual data about it

A significant part of tourists visiting Paris, from the first day of their stay in the city tries to look at the most recognizable architectural attraction - the Eiffel Tower. Annually, about 7 million people want to go up to it, and in order to provide each visitor with an entrance ticket, the authorities must use at least 2 tons of paper. Sometimes the main symbol of France is visited by up to 30 thousand people a day.

What guides will not tell:

• The weight of the Eiffel Tower is 10 thousand tons, and the height is 325 meters. At the same time, the whole structure is assembled from 18 thousand elements, fastened together by 2.5 million rivets.
• For cleaning in the tower, you need 25 thousand garbage bags per year and hundreds of liters of detergents.
• The main attraction is painted every 7 years. To do this, workers clean off the old coating from the surface, treat it with anti-corrosion protection, and then apply 60 tons of paint. This costs the budget about 4 million euros.
• Every year the symbol of the capital of France is deformed - under the influence of the sun the steel frame of the tower expands and its apex deviates to the side by 18 cm.
• The planned dismantling of the Eiffel Tower was to take place 20 years after its erection, but the design was useful for installing antennas in the era of radio.

But if, after returning from the trip, you want to visually demonstrate to friends interesting facts about Paris and France, the photo of the Eiffel Tower at night should not be put on the net, as its lights are protected by copyright, and such actions are considered a violation of the law.

Pointers with street names

Walking along the city's buildings, very often you can notice several signboards with names that are located directly one above the other. It turns out that earlier officials could not come to a common opinion about the height at which the signs should be placed, so new signs appeared on the walls of the buildings, while the old ones remained in their original places. Also, many old residents, mentioning interesting facts about Paris, say that under the modern metal signs there are names of streets carved into stone - they were left after the revolution.

Transport in the capital of France

Visiting France, tourists are impressed not only by the Eiffel Tower, the unique architecture of Paris, delicious dishes and fashionable shops. Surprising for them is the trip on the usual for all forms of transport. It turns out that the metro system operates a self-service system - it will not be possible to see employees at turnstiles or hear station announcements. In addition, it is necessary to close and open doors in the cars yourself.

Also the following interesting facts about Paris can surprise:

• In the city there are more and more bicycles - today, on its territory is equipped with thousands of kilometers of bicycle paths, and previously polluted by cars the air is becoming cleaner;
• The system of metropolitan underground transport is one of the oldest in the whole of Europe, and annually it carries around 1.5 billion passengers; The metro in Paris is the 6th in the world in terms of congestion.

Surprisingly, in the city of love there is only one road sign "Stop".

Another symbol of France

Of course, the guidebooks publish some of the most interesting facts about Paris and photos, but only when you are in this city, you can see passers-by who are wearing a baguette under your arm. It turns out that this is another symbol of France, and this way of carrying is an old tradition. The most popular French bakery products are called krok-madam and croc-monsie, which are fried chunks with butter and stuffing. Almost every store sells them.

Paris for lovers of entertainment

Also interesting facts about Paris are related to the cultural part of the city. So, in its territory there are 84 cinemas (367 halls), where one can watch one of 500 films. Every year, the capital's opera house hosts more than 300 performances, and 208 theaters can accommodate 70,000 people. In addition, the city has 8 thousand cafes with terraces, and the local people recommend to sit at tables on the street, not because it is forbidden to smoke on premises. It turns out that only this way you can make the waiters be more efficient and bring the bill faster. Parisians, as well as experienced travelers, know: employees of institutions are worried that customers do not leave, leaving their order unpaid.

Many interesting photo facts about Paris are full of buildings with ancient architecture and unusual sculptures. But the capital's restaurants are as important as historical monuments, and their names are often found on the pages of world magazines.

Where did the famous expressions of Paris come from?

Often in the literary sources and in the conversation there is the phrase "flying like plywood over Paris", and its appearance is most likely connected with the film "The Airman", in which circus artist Ivan Zaikin, who decided to become an aviator, travels to the French capital. In one episode, he climbs into the sky on an airplane of plywood, but his aircraft still crashes.

As already mentioned earlier, the erection of a similar to the nail of the Eiffel Tower was timed to coincide with a worldwide exhibition held in 1889, and the construction made a real sensation. Since then, the expression "the nail of the program" has appeared.

A trip to the most romantic place in Western Europe will allow every tourist to learn new interesting facts about Paris, get acquainted with ancient traditions and customs, and admire simple but unexpected trifles.