Montparnasse Tower: one of the main attractions of Paris

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

The map of Paris with sights is another confirmation of how unique this city is. On it you can see a huge number of significant places and architectural monuments, each of which is worth a visit. All of them, together with the cozy ancient streets, form an amazing atmosphere here, which every traveler dreams of plunging into at least once in his life. One of the most interesting and popular local places is the tower called Montparnasse, which is located in the heart of the French capital. About it in more detail and will be discussed further.

General Description

The main feature of the building is its 209-meter height (the Montparnasse tower is the only skyscraper located within the city). It consists of 56 floors and 6 underground levels. Many skeptics note the banality of its architecture, but this does not diminish the significance of the building, because it boasts the highest observation deck in Paris. Indeed, only from here you can see the Eiffel Tower from a heightbird flight. It is not surprising that for more than thirty years the Montparnasse tower has been on the list of the main attractions of the French capital.

As noted above, the outer height of the skyscraper is 209 meters. At the same time, it goes underground to a depth of 70 meters. The area of each floor is 2000 square meters. As for the total weight, it is approximately 120 thousand tons. At the foot of the building is a large shopping and public complex with an international textile center and a swimming pool.

A brief history of appearance

The history of the skyscraper dates back to 1956. Then at the present location of its location was the railway station of the same name. The city of Paris gradually grew, so over time it simply ceased to cope with the significantly increased volumes of freight and passenger traffic. Between 1969 and 1972, the station was moved underground, and a business center appeared on top. The design of the tower itself was developed by a group of architects consisting of Dubuisson, Baudouin, de Hoym, Arrech and Lopez. According to their idea, the building is an oval cigar.

Inside the tower

The Montparnasse Tower is like a separate small town with its own structure and sights. Movement between floors occurs due to 25 elevators. Only a few of them are of particular interest to tourists. In this case, we are talking about lifts running between the 1st and 56th floors. At the same time, in order to get to the last level, they needonly 38 seconds of time. Each of the elevators is accompanied by a steward. All the space located under the observation deck is occupied by offices, shops, restaurants, representative offices of the world's leading companies and banks. All these institutions employ a total of more than five thousand people.

Upper observation deck

In order to get to the highest observation deck of the French capital, you need to climb another three floors on foot. The upper level itself is a classic helipad, which is lined with a runway, has position lights and is fenced with a high net. It offers a unique view of the city of Paris, its surroundings and the Seine River. Visibility on sunny days from here reaches 40 kilometers. As evidenced by numerous reviews of travelers who have been here, this place should be a must-see for any tourist, as the time spent at the top is simply impossible to forget.

Visit

The Montparnasse Tower in Paris is located at: 33 avenue du Maine, in the eponymous district of the city. You can get here by almost any type of public transport. The opening hours of the attraction may vary depending on the season. You can just go inside for free. At the same time, climbing to the highest point is a very affordable pleasure. In particular, for an adult ticket you need to pay 13 euros, for students and young people under the age of 20 - 9.5 euros, and for children under 15 years old - 7.5 euros.

Compared to the Eiffel Tower

Even despite the large number of advantages that the Montparnasse Tower boasts, comparing it in importance with the main symbol of the French capital is not entirely appropriate. Each of these two attractions has its own unique purpose. If tourists have the opportunity to watch the city from the Eiffel Tower, then Montparnasse also allows you to buy souvenirs with clothes. Be that as it may, the architecture of a skyscraper is very banal and mundane. That is why, probably, the Parisian business card - the Eiffel Tower - remains the main attraction of the city. The advantages of Montparnasse over it include perhaps a relatively small queue and the opportunity to see the world-famous creation of Eiffel from a bird's eye view.

Results

Although the Montparnasse Tower does not claim to be the symbol of Paris, it has long ceased to be an ordinary skyscraper with office buildings. On the other hand, demonstrations continue to take place in the French capital from time to time, the main requirement of which is the demolition of the building. Many Parisians are sure that it spoils the romantic look of their city. Be that as it may, it is noteworthy that the Eiffel Tower was also heavily criticized during the first few decades after its construction. Paris and its inhabitants are gradually getting used to the presence of Montparnasse, and the city's most luxurious observation deck continues to attract everythingmore visitors from all over the world year after year.