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The Grand Axis of Paris began in the Tuileries Gardens in the seventeenth century and was projected beyond the River Seine in the twentieth century, becomig the pedestrian core of a major business district. It runs through the Arc de Triomphe and culminates in the Grand Arche, a hollow office building topped with an art gallery and viewing platform. The district of La Défense spreading on 77 acres is essentially composed of registered offices of lots of French and international companies .
Today, the most important business district in Europe, it also hosts the CNIT (Center of New Industries and Technologies) serving as a forum for meetings and conferences. It has a vault listed as an historic building.
At the end of the Esplanade, La Grande Arche, a huge cub made of white marble and glass, is an architectural success. It is particularly the headquarters of the Foundation of Human Rights. Created by a Danish architect, Johan-Otto von Spreckelson who won a competition called by the President Mitterrand, this hollowed-out cube, weighing 300,000 tons, 110m (352 ft) high and 70 meters (225 ft) wide (The whole of Notre-Dame cathedral would fit in its frame), was entitled "La Grande Arche".
When you take the panoramic lift, you can reach the roof of Arche with its rooms dedicated to exhibtions and the terrace from which you may enjoy the striking perspective on the Champs-Elysées with the Arc de Triomphe, extended by the Place de la Concorde and further by the Carrousel du Louvre..
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Hotels near La Defense
Hotel Bassano Champs Elysees - Hotel Napoleon Champs Elysees Paris - Hotel Regencia Elysees Paris - Hotel Ceramic Elysees Paris
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