France’s famed capital city, Paris, will be home to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games held from July 26 to Aug. 11. It will then host the Paralympic Games from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8. Known for its iconic sites such as the Eiffel Tower and the Notre Dame Cathedral, the city has captured the hearts of countless writers, artists, and musicians over the years. But there’s more to Paris than first meets the eye.
Amid the city hosting the 2024 Olympics, here are 10 surprising facts about Paris.
Paris has hosted the Olympics twice before
Paris hosted the Olympic Games in 1900 and 1924. The Olympic Games were inaugurated in 1896, but Paris hosting in 1924 marked a major turn in the event’s popularity. According to the official Olympics website: “The number of participating National Olympic Committees jumped from 29 to 44. This newfound popularity was confirmed by the presence of over 1,000 journalists.”
The park outside the Eiffel Tower has a bloody history
Known as the Champ de Mars, the park outside the Eiffel Tower is Paris’ largest public green space. But the iconic tourist attraction was once used as drilling and marching grounds for the French military. In fact, that’s how the park got its name, which translates in English to “Field of Mars,” the Roman god of war. The area also became a bloody sight during the French Revolution, when a crowd clashed with the city’s national guard in 1791, leading to at least 13 deaths according to WorldHistory.org.
Many consider the river Seine to be the “main character” of the city
Paris was founded on the banks of the Seine in the 3rd century BCE. The river has played an important role in the history of the city ever since, becoming critical for trade, fishing, and transportation in the region. Marie Segura, co-founder of the tour company My Private Paris, tells TIME that even today, the river plays a central role in city life. “If you look at any movie or even just read a book about Paris, there is probably going to be a lot of things happening on the Seine or on the islands,” she says. “It is the main character of Paris.”
Paris is not the city’s original name
The first name for the settlement along the Seine was actually Lutetia, which means “midwater-dwelling” in Latin. It was inhabited by a Gallic tribe called the Parisii before being conquered by the Roman Empire in the first century. It wasn’t until the early fourth century that it began being referred to as Paris, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.
The city is home to 6 million preserved skeletons
Underneath the city lies a tourist attraction referred to as “the catacombs.” The collection of human remains began at the end of the eighteenth century, when government officials became worried that local cemeteries were creating public health problems for the city. The government instead decided to transfer the human remains into tunnels underneath the city, piling the bones so that they filled up the space. Tourists can now visit the area, which is the final resting place of famous figures including French revolutionaries Maximilien Robespierre and Jean-Paul Marat.
The Grand Mosque of Paris has a rich history
Opened in 1926, the Grand Mosque of Paris was initially built as more Muslim immigrants from North Africa began to move to France during the French colonial era. It was primarily created to recognize the contributions of Muslims who died in the French army during the first world war. “The symbolism of the Paris Mosque is above all a symbolism of memory: that of the blood shed by Muslims for France. Before immigration issues, it is first and foremost this aspect that is at the origin of its construction,” Dalil Boubakeur, current rector of the Grand Mosque, is quoted saying in the French newspaper Le Monde.
The international prototype of the kilogram is located in Paris
Paris is home to the prototype created for standardizing the metric system for measuring weight–the kilogram. Made of platinum-iridium in 1889, it is the standard for which all kilograms are based off. It is stored in the International Bureau of Weights and Measures’ vault in the western suburb of Saint-Cloud in Paris.
Some Parisians refer to non-Parisians as “ploucs”
Paris has a distinct culture from the rest of France. The sense of a distinct identity is so strong among Parisians, that they often refer to non-Parisians as “ploucs,” history professor Andrew Hussey, who co-authored the book Paris: A Secret History, tells TIME. Hussey notes that it’s a slightly derogatory term, used to describe both French and non-French persons—anyone who isn’t from Paris.
The word became internationally known when Netflix’s Emily in Paris first aired in October 2020. In the show, the main character Emily is called “la plouc” by her colleagues. The word became a hot topic online, launching internet quizzes such as “How Much of a “la plouc” Are You?”
The Louvre is the world’s most visited museum
The Louvre is a museum in Paris which is home to some of the world’s most famous works of art including the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and The Raft of Medusa. Per the museum’s website, it received 8.9 million visitors in 2023, making it the most popular museum in the world according to The Art Newspaper.
The Bastille prison no longer exists
Bastille prison, which was famously stormed on July 14, 1789, kickstarting the French Revolution, was demolished by the revolutionary government shortly thereafter. However, those interested in the history of the revolution can still see remnants of the prison’s walls on display in Square Henri Galli, a park located in central Paris.
