Champs Elysees is the most famous and de facto main street of Paris. Here are the most expensive and elegant restaurants, there are military parades in the days of national holidays of France, this rush millions of tourists from all over the world.

Street not name ancient: until the beginning of XVII century there were swamps, where French kings were hunting for ducks. In the second half of the century there appeared the Royal Palace, grew up first house. By the early nineteenth century on the Avenue you can see only half a dozen buildings.

March 29, 1814, the Empress Marie-Louise fled to Paris that the battle took anti-French coalition troops. Russian Cossacks arranged a camp on the Champs-Elysees and almost bankrupted them. In a few years there appeared expensive mansions, was laid asphalt, arranged gas lighting.

The Elysian fields are drawn exactly from East to West from the place de La Concorde to the Champs elysées (Charles de Gaulle) with its colossal triumphal arch. The arch was built in 1836 in memory of the victory of Napoleon at Austerlitz, with her street acquired its greatness. In the era of the urban reforms of Baron Haussmann, the architect of Hittorf arranged on the Champs Elysees magnificent gardens. Fields held the world exhibition of 1844, 1855, 1867, 1900.

Line length 1915 meters is divided into two segments: the Park and business. Between the areas of Consent and Round is a recreational Park with a length of 700 meters, with beautiful fountains. Then begins the "store" part of the Champs Elysees with a pavement width of 22 meters each. Here are banks, airline offices, luxury cinemas, restaurants and shops. Here are the really expensive Russian restaurant "Rasputin", a glorified cabaret "Lido", the newspaper "Figaro".

On the Champs Elysees is the residence of the President of France. In local cinemas there are world premieres of films featuring the stars. The final stage of the famous Cycling race Le tour de France finishes here. According to tradition it was here that gather crowds of Parisians in the days of "national celebration" - for example, 12 July 1998, when France won the world Cup, in the Fields gathered more than 3 million people.