City Of Light
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- Create Date：2021-10-19 06:54:21
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Rupert Christiansen
- ISBN：1786694549
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Summary
A sparkling account of the nineteenth-century reinvention of Paris as the most beautiful， exciting city in the world
In 1853， French emperor Louis Napoleon inaugurated a vast and ambitious program of public works in Paris， directed by Georges-Eugène Haussmann， the prefect of the Seine。 Haussmann transformed the old medieval city of squalid slums and disease-ridden alleyways into a "City of Light" characterized by wide boulevards， apartment blocks， parks， squares and public monuments， new rail stations and department stores， and a new system of public sanitation。 City of Light charts this fifteen-year project of urban renewal which--despite the interruptions of war， revolution， corruption， and bankruptcy--set a template for nineteenth and early twentieth-century urban planning and created the enduring landscape of modern Paris now so famous around the globe。
Lively and engaging， City of Light is a book for anyone who wants to know how Paris became Paris。
In 1853， French emperor Louis Napoleon inaugurated a vast and ambitious program of public works in Paris， directed by Georges-Eugène Haussmann， the prefect of the Seine。 Haussmann transformed the old medieval city of squalid slums and disease-ridden alleyways into a "City of Light" characterized by wide boulevards， apartment blocks， parks， squares and public monuments， new rail stations and department stores， and a new system of public sanitation。 City of Light charts this fifteen-year project of urban renewal which--despite the interruptions of war， revolution， corruption， and bankruptcy--set a template for nineteenth and early twentieth-century urban planning and created the enduring landscape of modern Paris now so famous around the globe。
Lively and engaging， City of Light is a book for anyone who wants to know how Paris became Paris。
Reviews
Amy
，
Don't you just hate it when you need a history of France's Second Empire and you're in a hurry？ I mean， how does one select a book on this topic， which number as many cafes in Paris？ Fortunately， Rupert Christiansen comes to the rescue with his le petit livre， "City of Light: The Making of Modern Paris"， a compilation of the greatest hits from this tumultuous time。 In a scant 172 pages， many filled with pictures， Christiansen recounts the rise of Louis Napoleon， who did what Trump only wishes he Don't you just hate it when you need a history of France's Second Empire and you're in a hurry？ I mean， how does one select a book on this topic， which number as many cafes in Paris？ Fortunately， Rupert Christiansen comes to the rescue with his le petit livre， "City of Light: The Making of Modern Paris"， a compilation of the greatest hits from this tumultuous time。 In a scant 172 pages， many filled with pictures， Christiansen recounts the rise of Louis Napoleon， who did what Trump only wishes he could do: have a successful coup and crown himself Emperor （but like Trump， got clobbered for his arrogance and the fact that nobody liked him）。 This is quickly followed by his selection of Baron von Haussmann （not really a baron， but it sounds good） to enforce what can only be called a massive gentrification of Paris， demolishing the slums， displacing the poor， and making a pleasure dome for the rich and middle class。 These pleasures， which range from underground sewers， wide boulevards， to cabarets and parks， are briefly detailed before launching into the descent of the Second Empire at the hands of a displeased populace （living in one massive construction site for eighteen years tends to make people grouchy） and the Prussians。 Christiansen shines in describing the Franco-Prussian War and the subsequent Commune and providing analysis of their impacts in just forty petit pages。 His writing is succinct and engaging， like he was in a Second Empire State of Mind and decided to write a book about it。 If you are someone who reads a lot abut Paris， much of this book is redundant and does not offer any new perspectives， but it is a good fix if you need one。 If you are someone who either has a fledgling interest in Parisian history or is planning a trip to Paris， this book is a solid start in understanding the city。 The city we see today is the legacy of the Second Empire and it is important to learn about before setting foot in the Périphérique。 。。。more
Jane
，
I took this book out from the library in hopes of learning more about Haussmann's life and architecture。 I didn't learn much at all though。 It is a short book that really only brushes the surface of Paris in one period of time。"Bramo assai， poco spero" - Torquato Tasso。 （Translates to: I yearn for much， hope for little。） A quote used by Charles Garnier in his architetural submission to win the appointment for designing the opera house in Paris。 （page 72） I took this book out from the library in hopes of learning more about Haussmann's life and architecture。 I didn't learn much at all though。 It is a short book that really only brushes the surface of Paris in one period of time。"Bramo assai， poco spero" - Torquato Tasso。 （Translates to: I yearn for much， hope for little。） A quote used by Charles Garnier in his architetural submission to win the appointment for designing the opera house in Paris。 （page 72） 。。。more
Jonna Higgins-Freese
，
Baron Haussman redeveloped the city。 Life for the lower classes was pretty bleak -- they'd walk in from small， dirty housing in Belleville or Montmartre， work all day for a pittance， and walk back home。 Baron Haussman redeveloped the city。 Life for the lower classes was pretty bleak -- they'd walk in from small， dirty housing in Belleville or Montmartre， work all day for a pittance， and walk back home。 。。。more
Annie McMeeking
，
“‘I am the Jesus Christ of this situation，’ Trochu lamented after his cabinet insisted he resign。”Friendship ended with ITALY now FRANCE is my best friend
Eliza
，
2。7。21: City of Light is a short history of the mid-19th century period of great building and expansion of Paris， the reign of Louis Napoleon， and the rise and fall of Baron Haussmann。 Well-written， concise， and accessible， with wonderful and well-chosen details and a sure sense of the feeling of Paris as the gorgeous （and French） city that it is。 A quick read， instructive and entertaining。 I’d recommend it to anyone who loves Paris！
Erik Neil
，
This pithy history of Paris in the era of Napoleon III and George Haussmann will be of interest to anyone who loves the City of Light。 The author does a nice job of explaining the elements， wide and straight avenues， parks and fountains， functioning sewers and water works， and the new apartment buildings that came to define the 19th c。 city。 This would be a great book for someone who was getting ready to visit Paris for the first time。 For those already familiar， it will be a great refresher。
Madame Jane
，
An excellent read。 I never knew how much Paris was rebuilt following the Revolution。
David Baer
，
This is a short book that does a good job of providing a history of Paris for someone who has a medium level of interest in the history of Paris。
Brian Willis
，
A nicely illustrated， well done quick version of the transformation of Paris from its small， cramped streets to the marvelous vistas we enjoy today。 There are more substantial versions out there， but those who have a basic understanding of Parisian geography will enjoy this quick read。
Linda Munroe
，
Covering the period from 1853- 1875 this book describes the 'renovation' of downtown Paris that took place during the time of the emperor Louis-Napolean， The public works program that took Paris from a very unhealthy medieval city to the City of Light was headed up by Georges-Eugene Haussmann。 It includes huge changes， the invasion by Bismark which ended Louis-Napolean's rule and led to the Paris's civil war， the Paris Commune and the massacre called La semaine sanglante （the bloody week）。 This Covering the period from 1853- 1875 this book describes the 'renovation' of downtown Paris that took place during the time of the emperor Louis-Napolean， The public works program that took Paris from a very unhealthy medieval city to the City of Light was headed up by Georges-Eugene Haussmann。 It includes huge changes， the invasion by Bismark which ended Louis-Napolean's rule and led to the Paris's civil war， the Paris Commune and the massacre called La semaine sanglante （the bloody week）。 This is interesting history and all new to me。 。。。more
Leslie Zemeckis
，
Very short but sweet and simple history of Haussmann and others transformation of Paris during the second empire
Michael Skaggs
，
A quick read and a nice tour through Louis Napoleon's influence over the country and Baron Haussman's influence over Paris。 Overall it reads like an episode in a much longer history， and those without a grounding in Revolutionary history will find the significance of Christiansen's narrative hard to see。 A quick read and a nice tour through Louis Napoleon's influence over the country and Baron Haussman's influence over Paris。 Overall it reads like an episode in a much longer history， and those without a grounding in Revolutionary history will find the significance of Christiansen's narrative hard to see。 。。。more
June Baer
，
I enjoyed learning more about Paris and how it came to "look" the way it does。 I enjoyed learning more about Paris and how it came to "look" the way it does。 。。。more
Cassandra Wolf
，
This book is about how the famous opera houses and infrastructure of Paris came into fruition。 Christiansen also gave a brief history of France after the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte， including key figures during the makeover。 No expense was spared in building cultural attractions， improving the sewer system， or widening the streets to reduce traffic， despite the limited amount of funds in the national treasury。 All classes benefited from the beauty of tree-lined streets， venues for the performing This book is about how the famous opera houses and infrastructure of Paris came into fruition。 Christiansen also gave a brief history of France after the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte， including key figures during the makeover。 No expense was spared in building cultural attractions， improving the sewer system， or widening the streets to reduce traffic， despite the limited amount of funds in the national treasury。 All classes benefited from the beauty of tree-lined streets， venues for the performing arts， and better sanitation。 These edifices still draw countless amounts of visitors。 。。。more
Stacy
，
This was a quick little informative read about the rise and fall of the Second Empire and the person most responsible for planning out and making Paris' roads and parks of that time streamlined and efficient as well as getting the plumbing/sanitation sorted out。 Not without his faults， Baron Haussmann appears to have been a difficult but effective personality。 The background it was set in was interesting but I took away a star as the author seemed to sometimes forget that most readers （myself in This was a quick little informative read about the rise and fall of the Second Empire and the person most responsible for planning out and making Paris' roads and parks of that time streamlined and efficient as well as getting the plumbing/sanitation sorted out。 Not without his faults， Baron Haussmann appears to have been a difficult but effective personality。 The background it was set in was interesting but I took away a star as the author seemed to sometimes forget that most readers （myself included） are starting with next to no knowledge of the time period。 For instance， he refers offhand to Louis Napoleon Bonaparte's wife as "Eugenie" despite not having noted Napoleon's marriage， just his early lovers and took me some time researching online to figure out who he was talking about。 Other gaps occur and it makes it hard to follow when making jumps like this。 Otherwise well written and appears to be well researched and learned a lot about the time period。 。。。more
Joseph
，
Entertaining overview of the radical redesign of Paris as we see it today。 The end of the book distills the end of the 2nd Empire setting up the underlying causes of WWI and WWII。
Ben
，
Was kinda hoping for a “Power Broker Lite” book about Hassumann， and this was definitely not that。 Did learn some things about Paris history， but I also probably could have just read Wikipedia。
Daniel Farabaugh
，
This was a nice read。 It was not trying to do too much and gave a quick overview of the time period。
Olga Vannucci
，
From the boulevardsTo the Communards。
Robin
，
A fascinating history of the development of the city of Paris。 There is a lot of history that seems unrelated but ultimately reveals how the city's development was affected during that time。 I hope to visit one day and see for myself the results of the planning detailed in the book。 A fascinating history of the development of the city of Paris。 There is a lot of history that seems unrelated but ultimately reveals how the city's development was affected during that time。 I hope to visit one day and see for myself the results of the planning detailed in the book。 。。。more
Aaron
，
A thoroughly enjoyable and easily accessible tale of the building of modern Paris。 A perfect book to read before or during your visit to Paris。
Tiffany
，
It has taken me awhile to finish this short work。 There is little new information， aside from the personal opinions repetitively stated by the author， that cannot be found in more detailed and more heavily researched works。 If you know little about the time period， this could be seen as a nice introductory text。 I recieved this galley in exchange for my honest review via the publisher through NetGalley。
Molly Jean
，
No new ground plowed here but still an enjoyable read about one of the most interesting eras of my favorite city。
Daniel
，
A fascinating history about the city of Paris。
E
，
Brisk look at Baron Haussmann's Second Empire overhaul of Paris' street grid。 Boy the man loved demolition， wide streets， and fast-growing trees。 Liberal sprinkling of illustrations through this volume really helped。 History seemed rushed at times， particularly involving Napoleon III， the war with Prussians， and the Commune disaster of the 70s。 Some of that history， in fact， seemed tacked on merely to make the book longer。Totally random， but gives me the opportunity to recommend a great book: if Brisk look at Baron Haussmann's Second Empire overhaul of Paris' street grid。 Boy the man loved demolition， wide streets， and fast-growing trees。 Liberal sprinkling of illustrations through this volume really helped。 History seemed rushed at times， particularly involving Napoleon III， the war with Prussians， and the Commune disaster of the 70s。 Some of that history， in fact， seemed tacked on merely to make the book longer。Totally random， but gives me the opportunity to recommend a great book: if you're looking for a good work of historical fiction based on the Franco-Prussian war （a conflict on which I wrote a college term paper， and thus which has always been close to my heart）， check out Empires of Sand。 Dare I say it is Wilbur Smithian？ 。。。more
Joe Bellew
，
Really good primer on 19th Century French （and Parisian） history， of which I knew very little before。 And very informative regarding Haussmann’s role in creating the Paris that still looks like it does today。
Susan
，
Very informative little book about the Haussmannization of Paris and the political climate of the Second Empire。 The book is laid out in an interesting but concise manner from which I gleaned some intriguing new facts。
Miles Smith
，
This is a good overview of Baron Haussmann and the modernization of Paris that occurred during the Second French Empire ca 1853-1870。 Its a short work， but it provides details that might surprise non-specialists--I has no idea that Haussmann was a Protestant--and educated laypeople as well。 Its length kept me from giving it 4 stars。 Its not long enough to really suck you in。 But its a good book and an excellent read for anyone interested in the Second Empire or Paris。
Cait
，
A really interesting read about a particular part in the history of the building of Paris。 I have two complaints however:1。 I do wish some things were explained a bit better - sometimes the author thought you knew more than you actually did， so occasionally I got a bit lost。 2。 He had 3 different instances where he described 3 different women in really terribly terms， and the descriptive he gave each of them was completely unnecessary and not something he did with men。 Overall however， it was an A really interesting read about a particular part in the history of the building of Paris。 I have two complaints however:1。 I do wish some things were explained a bit better - sometimes the author thought you knew more than you actually did， so occasionally I got a bit lost。 2。 He had 3 different instances where he described 3 different women in really terribly terms， and the descriptive he gave each of them was completely unnecessary and not something he did with men。 Overall however， it was an enjoyable read， and I learned a lot。 。。。more
Michael
，
This was a great read – an informative and entertaining little book chronicling the emergence of the modern Paris of today。 Author Christiansen keeps the story moving rapidly， presenting in the first brief chapter the necessary background of the French Second Empire （1852 to 1870） of Louis-Napoléon （Napoléon III）， and Napoléon's need to pacify the potentially volatile capital city in order to retain power。 His solution: assign career civil servant Georges-Eugene Haussmann to revitalize， beautify This was a great read – an informative and entertaining little book chronicling the emergence of the modern Paris of today。 Author Christiansen keeps the story moving rapidly， presenting in the first brief chapter the necessary background of the French Second Empire （1852 to 1870） of Louis-Napoléon （Napoléon III）， and Napoléon's need to pacify the potentially volatile capital city in order to retain power。 His solution: assign career civil servant Georges-Eugene Haussmann to revitalize， beautify， and modernize Paris， thus keeping the populace dazzled， entertained， less likely to foment rebellion。Paris was in a state of physical decay; the Arc de Triomphe was “surrounded by a fetid wilderness of filth， stench， and crime， pitted with noxious warrens of torturous backstreets cramped with decrepit tenement housing and swarms of wretched humanity” [30]。 This is the amazing story of how Haussmann， sometimes with a ruthless disregard of the poorer neighborhoods， remade the city with wide， tree-lined boulevards， landscaped parks and squares， new rail stations， public monuments， blocks of modern apartment buildings， and new water and sewer systems。The monumental project took decades， but it created a wholly new Parisian landscape。 Well-written， with just the right balance of detail and backstory， full of the political turmoil of the era， all packed into this 172-page volume， complete with photographs。 Well done。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=City Of Light
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=City Of Light&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,City Of Light&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0