Two key landmarks chosen for Paris Paralympics 2024 opening ceremony

Paris has chosen the iconic ChampsElysees avenue and the historic Place de la Concorde to host the opening ceremony for the Summer Paralympics on WednesdayThe prestigious avenue sweeping through the 8th arrondissement to the west of central Paris is dotted with cafes palaces and luxury shops and connects the Arc de Triomphe in the west with Place de la Concorde in the east in a single straight lineThe ChampsElyseesTens of thousands of people daily throng the twokilometreone milelong treelined artery with its wide sidewalksIt has long been for French a place of celebrations and popular gatherings It was there in 1960 that American actress Jean Seberg appeared in JeanLuc Godards legendary new wave film Breathless selling copies of the New York Herald TribuneOn Wednesday it will be the scene of a popular parade open to everyone and involving up to more than 180 delegations and 4400 paraolympians from around the worldFrance has celebrated two football World Cup victories there the traditional military parade on July 14 the Bastille Day national holiday and the Tour de France cycle race ends there Hundreds of thousands of Parisians and tourists gather there to celebrate New Years EveOnce fields and fallow land the avenue started to take shape when Louis XIVs city planner first linked the Louvre to the Tuileries Garden in the mid17th centuryAt one end of the avenue is the Arc de Triomphe commissioned by French Emperor Napoleon which now honours Frances war dead and was inaugurated in 1836 Frances WWII leader General Charles de Gaulle chose it of course for his triumphant return from exile on August 26 1944 after the Liberation of Paris from the NazisHowever the prestigious thoroughfare has known scenes of unrest Police used tear gas rubber bullets and water cannon when yellow vest antigovernment protesters in 2018 attacked the Arc de Triomphe and ransacked shops However with stores and historic cinemas closing along the avenue due to rising rents and falling sales locals have gradually abandoned the ChampsElysees over concerns that it is too noisy dirty and expensiveWith Paris other famous symbol the Eiffel Tower looming just across the River Seine the name is the French for Elysian Fields the paradise for dead heroes in Greek mythologyPlace de la ConcordeAt the other end the Place de la Concorde the largest square in Paris will be the scene of the official parade for ticket holders in addition to the protocol and artistic sequencesThe square has a bloody past then known as Place de la Revolution it was a place of execution and heads rolled literally there during the French Revolution King Louis XVI and his wife MarieAntoinette were famously guillotined there in 1793 during the Reign of Terror that followed the 1789 Revolution It was renamed Concorde after the July Revolution of 1830Today the elegant paved square by the Seine is defined by its huge obelisk one of a pair originally erected by Ramses II outside the temple in Luxor in Egypt in the 13th century BC It was gifted to Paris in 1830Also Read Paris Olympics 2024 cauldron could stay in city even after Games endThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever