<p>Thirteen-year-old Ava Cairns-Locke takes a photo of the Eiffel Tower while backpacking through Europe in 2014.</p>
World Traveler
Thirteen-year-old Ava Cairns-Locke takes a photo of the Eiffel Tower while backpacking through Europe in 2014.
Photograph by Peter Mather, Nat Geo Image Collection
These 15 Photos Remind Us Why We Love Paris—and Always Will
Images from the National Geographic archives celebrate the resilient City of Light.
ByBecky LittleNational Geographic
Published July 13, 2016
Thursday is Bastille Day, an important holiday in France that commemorates the beginning of the French Revolution with the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789. This year's celebrations being held around the world have taken on a particular meaning as the nation tries to heal from recent devastating terrorist attacks.
No stranger to violence, Paris has endured countless trials over its two millennia of existence, from the 1814 Battle of Paris to the German Occupation during World War II. In November, a series of terrorist attacks left more than 120 dead and hundreds more injured.
But French values have endured for centuries. “The bonds of liberté and égalité and fraternité … are going to endure far beyond any act of terrorism,” U.S. President Barack Obama said just after the attacks.
Famous artists and thinkers from all over the world have debated and celebrated these values in Parisian cafes and on the city's streets, during times of peace and times of unrest. These photos from our archives show the city’s iconic streetscapes, which—like its values—remain resilient. They remind us why we love the City of Light.
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