Haussmannisation+of+Paris

__** 19th Century **__

__**Overview**__ Georges-Eugène Haussmann was born in March 1809 in Paris. He is credited with the reorganization and design of Paris in the period between 1853-1870 under the rule of Napoleon III which transformed it from a medieval city into a prominent capital.



__**Biography**__ Haussmann was born into a comfortable Protestant family. His father, Nicolas Valentin Haussmann, was a textile merchant. Haussmann's grandfather was a member of the Revolutionary Concention. He was influenced greatly by his father, grandfather, and brother, all involved in the textile craft. Haussmann's mother was the daughter of a prominent general under Napoleon. He studied as an attorney but never practiced. During the July Revolution, Haussmann befriended Louis Phillipe who became king. He was appointed to the administrative corps. After the Revolution of 1848, Haussmann was appointed prefect of the Seine by Napoleon III. Along with this new position came a new responsibilty. Haussman was charged with the public works project of completely reorganizing Paris.

__**Paris**__ Before Haussmannisation Paris was composed of twisting, unpaved streets. Haussmann began the redesign process by making a topographical map of Paris. He cut and paved more than fifty unpaved boulevards, erected monuments and statues, and created the country's biggest cemetery. For the first time, movement in Paris was quick and easy. There were many motivations driving the modernization of Paris. The first was economic. It promoted industrialization by making the transportation of goods easier. Another motivation was visual appeal. More light penetrated the streets and the openness created a impression of majesty and unity. The third motivation was hygiene. Haussmann created a new plumbing system to removing waste from the city and eliminate bad smells. The final reason was military. The wide boulevards prevented rebels from raising barricades.

Parks were based off of the English model at the center of Paris, at Boulogne and at Vincennes. Haussmann also improved the street life by putting up more lamps and building sidewalks. This gave rise to the famous cafés and kiosks. Haussmann led the construction of the Opera House, Théâtre Nationale De L'opéra and Les Halles, the central marketplace.

__**Success**__ If it weren't for amazing leadership and freedom under the ruler, the plans to renovate Paris may have never turned into reality. Napoleon III put forth many of the ideas in rebuilding Paris, but it was Haussmann who made them come true. Due to the autocratic regime, Haussmann was able to make many large long-term loans without a difficult authorization process. His liberal spending raised opposition from Emile Ollivier and other liberal members of the governement. This eventually led to his dismissal in 1870.

__**Influence**__ The architecture of Paris during the nineteenth century was followed by the Bauhaus Movement. The Haussmannisation of Paris also influnced the development of many cities. Chicago is one of them.

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__**Bibliography**__ [|Britannica] [|San Jose State University website] [|The Free Dictionary] [|University proffessor website]__ [|MSN encarta] [|Mtholyoke]