The metal architecture of the right bank

This walk takes you from the Eglise Saint-Augustin to the Pont des Arts passing by the gare Saint-Lazare, the department stores, the Opéra Garnier and the Galerie Vivienne.

The route you will take is not the shortest. Detours will make you discover stunning buildings, away from the usual tourist tours. But all those sites have one thing in common : they were built on a metal structure ; sometimes you can clearly see it, sometimes you can make it out but most of the time you can’t even guess there is one.

In France, the adventure of the metal construction started in the beginning of the 1800s. In one century, it deeply changed the country, Paris and Parisians’ lives. It is a period of transition, a step towards future, with its technical innovations and a modern and rational vision of the city, but it’s also a step towards past marked by a decor with varied stylistic references.

After this walk, you will look at Paris frontages in a different light. You will often ask yourself « stone or iron ? ». The answer won’t always be obvious…