Nov
17
2008
La Conciergerie (left and also this month’s header image) sits on the Ile de la Cité near Notre Dame in Paris, and by all accounts it’s had quite a chequered history. I’ve not visited La Concergerie, but after reading about it, I’m quite intrigued to go!
It includes the remains of the oldest palace in Paris (Palais de la Cité), but was converted into a prison in the 15th Century. When the Palais was abandoned it was left to be used by Parliament of Paris and the Kingdom’s central administration offices ‘Le Concierge’.
However, it was during the French Revolution that La Conciergerie saw hundreds of prisoners executed at the guillotine. It was known as the ‘antechamber to the guillotine’ during the reign of terror between 5 September 1793 – 28 July 1794.
The most famous prisoners included Queen Marie Antoinette, the poet André Chénier, Charlotte Corday, Madame Élisabeth, Madame du Barry and the Girondins. After the Restoration of the Bourbons in the 19th century, the Conciergerie continued to be used as a prison for high-value prisoners, one of which was the future Napoleon III.
The Conciergerie was decommissioned in 1914 and was opened to the public as a national historical monument. Today only a small part of the building can be visited as much of it is used for the Paris law courts.
You can find out more about La Conciergerie on the Centre des Monuments Nationaux website.
Nov
06
2008
It’s been a while since I updated the latest news, so here goes, there’s a few more than usual this time!
US Has Growing Appetite for French TV - from Living-French.net. French TV series are growing in popularity across the pond.
French doctor unveils artificial heart - from Telegraph.co.uk. A French doctor has unveiled what he described as the world’s first fully implantable artificial heart.
Franglais resurgent - from Economist.com. It seems the French are relaxing their prickly hostility to the English language.
Buy direct from the French vineyard - in London!! FREE TICKETS! - from UKwinesonline.co.uk. Get free tickets to the French Wine Growers Fair at the Barbican in London 21-23 November 2008.
France Clearly Wants Obama in White House - from Angus-reid.com. I’m sure they were very happy with the outcome!
November in France: where Beaujolais Nouveau is still celebrated - from Timesonline.co.uk. Watch out for Beaujolais Nouveau on the third Thursday of November (20 November).
Google Street View Expands Coverage in France - from Googlesystem.blogspot.com. After including Tour de France’s routes in Street View, Google expands the coverage for France, by adding Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Lille and Toulouse.
Where do French people spend their time on the Internet ? - from Lexiophiles.com. Interesting research into the most popular websites in France.
Air France plans rival train to Eurostar - from WebinFrance.com. New high-speed train from Air France due to hit the rails in 2010
Ski resorts commit themselves to sustainable tourism - from US.Franceguide.com. Ski resorts in France are starting to look seriously at ways in which they can limit the impact of tourism on the environment.
Susan Pinkard: French Food History Savante - from Cambridgeblog.org. Recipe from the Early-Modern French Kitchen. This recipe looks like a very nice one to try - Monkfish with white wine butter sauce (La Varenne)
