La Defense

Sunday, June 14, 2009

La Defense is the skyline of Paris and is the business district of the city. It was named after the statue, La Defense de Paris. This statue was build in 1884 and commemorates the soldiers that defended Paris during the Franco-Prussian War. The district has many of Paris's tallest high-rises within it.

In 1958 the first high rise was constructed within the district and is called the Esso Tower. The second the Nobel Tower was built in 1966 and was the first office building in the district. The construction of new buildings was halted for awhile during the economic crisis in 1973 and then picked up in the 1980s with a new building in 1981 the Quatre Temps. To give the area some type of monument a competition was launched by the EPAD. This led to the construction of the Grande Arche which the high rises surround. Around the time of the Arches construction many new hotels were constructed. In 1992 a line of the Paris Metro was extended to La Defense which helped the area be more accessible to more people. La Defense today is still growing and has become the largest business district in Europe.

By: Jeanette Wallentine