Lingua Teddi 24-25

HOW DID HAUSSMANNIAN EXPRESS THE EXPRESS THE WORLD VIEWS AT THE TIME

The Haussmanian architecture we see today on the streets of Paris began under the reign of Napoleon III. He appointed Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann in 1853 to be in charge of the urban renewal of Paris to make the city bigger, cleaner, and more beautiful. At the time, a cholera epidemic spread in Paris, caused by narrow, overcrowded streets with the lack of a proper sewerage system. To tackle this public health crisis, the Emperor ordered that a large part of the medieval city be destroyed and replaced with buildings designed by Haussmann, which would benefit everyone, including the working class, as there would be less segregation. Haussmann’s design was rows of identical buildings made of cream-coloured limestone, giving the city a uniform look. The ground floor facing the street often had high ceilings that could is occupied by shops convenient for the people living in the buildings. The first floor was named the ‘Noble Floor’, and often the most lavish as heavier items such as marble could only be placed at the bottom, it is also the most desirable floor because it was easily accessible where most of the richest families lived. On the next few floors were residential floors featuring less decoration and no balcony. The highest floor was designed for low-income household and servants of the first-floor families. The narrow medieval streets were destroyed and replaced with open boulevards and avenues for increased space and hygiene.

The changes in architecture at the time demonstrate not only a moment in time during French History but also a cultural desire to offer better living conditions within the city.

BY JOHN XU (C), LOWER SIXTH

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