City of Light: The Making of Modern Paris

by Rupert Christiansen

A sparkling account of the nineteenth-century reinvention of Paris as the most beautiful, exciting city in the world

In 1853, French emperor Louis Napoleon inaugurated a vast and ambitious program of public works in Paris, directed by Georges-Eugè Haussmann, the prefect of the Seine. Haussmann transformed the old medieval city of squalid slums and disease-ridden alleyways into a "City of Light" characterized by wide boulevards, apartment blocks, parks, squares and public monuments, new rail stations and department stores, and a new system of public sanitation. City of Light charts this fifteen-year project of urban renewal which -- despite the interruptions of war, revolution, corruption, and bankruptcy -- set a template for nineteenth and early twentieth-century urban planning and created the enduring landscape of modern Paris now so famous around the globe.

Lively and engaging, City of Light is a book for anyone who wants to know how Paris became Paris.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, France, Cities, Travel, Urbanism, European History

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2019

About the author

Rupert Christiansen is an English writer, journalist and critic, grandson of Arthur Christiansen (editor of the Daily Express) and son of Kay and Michael Christiansen (editor of the Sunday and Daily Mirror). Born in London, he was educated at Millfield and King's College, Cambridge, where he took a double first in English. As a Fulbright scholar, he also attended Columbia University from 1977 to 1978.

Reviews

[tinaaaaaa · Rating 3 out of 5]

City of Light describes Paris in the late 19th century, focusing on the work of Georges-Eugène Haussmann. This was a man seemingly obsessed with de-clogging the city streets. He wanted effective transport, orderly buildings, fresher air and cleaner water. There were political reasons for expanding as well. Twisting, narrow streets had allowed rioters to barricade themselves during the rebellions of 1832 and 1848.

This book was informative, but sometimes jumped from one topic to another at breakneck speed. All the right elements of a good history book are there- colorful descriptions of people and places, rare photographs, enlightening quotes and excerpts- and yet it felt a bit unorganized in places. We are told several times but with different wording that Haussmann is a neat freak. At one point we're on the topic of female employment, then suddenly education reform with very little transition. But halfway through it smoothed out into a satisfying read. The author's writing is excellent.

Overall I enjoyed this book because it closely examines such a fascinating pocket of history. This era is nestled between the turbulent Revolutions that took place decades before, and the modern era just around the corner. It is clearly well researched and I was left fascinated by this moment in Paris' history.

This book was provided through NetGalley.

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paris is ALWAYS a good thing and in the stunning CITY OF LIGHT, Rupert Christiansen describes in painterly detail the tumultuous period of 1852-70, during which Napoleon III harnessed the genius of Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann to transform her from slum-ridden embarrassment into great world beauty. Christiansen is an author, Daily Telegraph arts writer and teacher at Keble College, Oxford. Highly recommended!

Pub Date 09 Oct 2018

Thanks to Perseus Books, Basic Books and NetGalley for the review copy, in exchange for my honest opinion.

#CityOfLight #NetGalley

[Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just finished:

New York: Basic Books, 2018.

A history of community planning for Paris under the rule of Louis Napoleon and his main city planner Georges Eugene Haussmann. In the 1850s, Haussmann commissioned the first city map of Paris, and cleared sections of the city that were blighted or made up of slums. He installed wide streets that went in straight lines. One reason for the wide boulevards was to prevent rioters from barricading streets and causing disorder. The ubiquitous five story structures that make up much of Paris today came to be under Haussmann's management.

While certainly not above board at times, Haussmann's reforms opened up the city and created modern plumbing and grand structures to display the splendor of France under Napoleon III (such as Charles Garner's opera house).

Even after Prussia defeated France in 1871, Haussmann's ideas of planning and architecture endured until Le Corbusier's ideas took away after WWI.

An interesting read.

[Leslie Zemeckis]

Very short but sweet and simple history of Haussmann and others transformation of Paris during the second empire

[Brian Willis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nicely illustrated, well done quick version of the transformation of Paris from its small, cramped streets to the marvelous vistas we enjoy today. There are more substantial versions out there, but those who have a basic understanding of Parisian geography will enjoy this quick read.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good little book about the 2nd Empire of France and the city planner of Paris, Haussmann.

[Michael Kuehn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read – an informative and entertaining little book chronicling the emergence of the modern Paris of today. Author Christiansen keeps the story moving rapidly, presenting in the first brief chapter the necessary background of the French Second Empire (1852 to 1870) of Louis-Napoléon (Napoléon III), and Napoléon's need to pacify the potentially volatile capital city in order to retain power. His solution: assign career civil servant Georges-Eugene Haussmann to revitalize, beautify, and modernize Paris, thus keeping the populace dazzled, entertained, less likely to foment rebellion.

Paris was in a state of physical decay; the Arc de Triomphe was “surrounded by a fetid wilderness of filth, stench, and crime, pitted with noxious warrens of torturous backstreets cramped with decrepit tenement housing and swarms of wretched humanity” [30]. This is the amazing story of how Haussmann, sometimes with a ruthless disregard of the poorer neighborhoods, remade the city with wide, tree-lined boulevards, landscaped parks and squares, new rail stations, public monuments, blocks of modern apartment buildings, and new water and sewer systems.

The monumental project took decades, but it created a wholly new Parisian landscape.

Well-written, with just the right balance of detail and backstory, full of the political turmoil of the era, all packed into this 172-page volume, complete with photographs. Well done.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has taken me awhile to finish this short work. There is little new information, aside from the personal opinions repetitively stated by the author, that cannot be found in more detailed and more heavily researched works. If you know little about the time period, this could be seen as a nice introductory text. I recieved this galley in exchange for my honest review via the publisher through NetGalley.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative little book about the Haussmannization of Paris and the political climate of the Second Empire. The book is laid out in an interesting but concise manner from which I gleaned some intriguing new facts.

[Lulu · Rating 4 out of 5]

A concise but well-presented, City of Light is a compelling read about France's Second Empire.

[South Plateau · Rating 4 out of 5]

去巴黎之前再一次重读这本书，国内写奥斯曼的书并不多，男爵已经被人遗忘，正如拉雪兹最受欢迎的是摇滚乐手的墓。书写的简单，并没有太多细节，但已经足够对奥斯曼本人留下深刻的印象了。了解巴黎，可以先从这本书开始。

[Larry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a reasonably entertaining, very high level, overview of the second French empire. It's a small book that won't take much time or effort to get through. It provides highlights of the transition of power to Louis Napoleon, the Hausmann tear-down and rebuilding of much of Paris, and the various uprisings that eventually led to the downfall of Louis. If you want an introduction to the history of the period, that goes into very little depth or detail, this book will suffice. If you really want to understand the people and circumstances that resulted in the Paris we know now, you should look for something a bit more meaty.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes I like to pick a book based on my almost total ignorance of its subject. The closest I’ve come to seeing Paris is in an Asterix album.

Christiansen's account of the leveling and rebuilding of Paris is compact, clear, and assembles its facts cleverly. As the city built more cafes (20,000 in total), 50,000 cases of venereal disease started being reported a year. Unlike its modern incarnation, the Can-Can of the time was typically performed sans underwear and, quite literally, within smelling distance.

The tale seems timely. The city’s ruthless planners share more than few traits with the people behind HS2 today. Louis Napoleon blew the same dog-whistles as all populist demagogues - the hollow rhetoric promising ‘stability, justice and prosperity for all’, immediately followed by hefty pay rises for the army and increased powers for the police; the planted cheerleaders in the crowds, the sycophants in the press. And the constant stream of propaganda insisting on ‘nameless plots and underground conspiracies.’

[Ellen Cutler · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fine little book. Christiansen focuses on Baron Haussman and the liberties given him by Emperor Napoleon III in the 1850s and 1860s with adept writing and a good seasoning of opinion. It's a story we always throw out there--how Paris was a medieval slum until the massive raze-and-rebuild plan of the 1850s and 1860s and how it all came to a crashing conclusion in 1870 with the disastrous aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War. Christiansen makes much of it much more real--including of course the construction of the first lines of the famed Métro and the vision of large parks throughout the city.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's some good information here, but if you know your Paris history, there's not much you haven't seen before. While the writing is certainly competent, the book fails as narrative nonfiction. The facts are there but the story fails to compel.

*I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

[Krishna · Rating 4 out of 5]

In between 1853 and 1869 the city of Paris, formerly a congested, polluted, and slum-ridden city was transformed into what we see today – a modern metro of wide boulevards, orderly apartment buildings, gardens, and elegant monuments. The key person responsible was Baron Hausmann, a hard-driving architect with an almost pathological hatred of congestion and ugliness. His patron was the emperor Louis Napoleon, a canny, politically astute leader who knew the key to power was to present the French people with a “succession of marvels.”

First, Christiansen presents some background. In the 1850s, France was emerging from more than 70 years of constant political upheaval. First there was the French Revolution (1789-94), followed by the weak government of the Directory. Exploiting his popularity, General Napoleon rose to power in 1804 until he was defeated and exiled in 1815. Then came the Bourbon Restoration – first Louis XVIII, the brother of the executed Louis XVII, and then Charles X. In 1830, the Bourbons too were expelled from power, and another branch of the family took over (the House of Orleans) in the form of the weak emperor Louis Philippe.

But Louis Philippe did not last long and another revolution broke out in 1848. Exploiting the chaos, Louis Napoleon, Napoleon's nephew, came to power. [The family tree is interesting. Louis Napoleon is the son of Napoleon's brother Louis, but his mother Hortense was Josephine's daughter by her first marriage. So the brothers Napoleon and Louis were married to mother and daughter.]

Louis Napoleon declared himself emperor in 1851, inaugurating the French Second Empire. He did well for a while, but in 1870 he launched an ill-advised attack on Prussia led by the redoubtable Otto von Bismarck and suffered a humiliating defeat. The Germans besieged Paris and finally got to enter it ceremonially. Louis Napoleon abdicated, leaving Paris open to the brief Paris Commune (1871), violently suppressed by the new republican government.

The developments in the book cover the period of the Second Empire, from the time Louis Napoleon came to power and launched his campaign of beautification in Paris, to the chaos of the Paris commune. Hausmann, as “Prefect of the Seine,” oversaw the project. He cleared slums, put in place new water supply and sewage systems, and laid out broad avenues lined with plane trees and wide sidewalks. He announced a new architectural code, to standardize the look of buildings.

Theoretically, the new plan was also supposed to create housing for the slum dwellers displaced by the project—but most of the new apartments built were larger units intended for the middle and upper classes. Some service employees could be housed in garrets and attics. The others were shunted off to the working-class districts in the east.

Another major development during this time was the expansion of the city by including outlying villages such as Auteuil, Bercy, and Batignoles. But here too the residents who used to live in ramshackle, jerry-built houses of rough board and tin sheet were displaced and broad avenues laid out waiting for development.

One major effort was to create new green spaces and public buildings. Here he had the assistance of some capable men. For example, the Bois de Boulogne was designed by a landscaper named Jean-Charles Alphand. A former rubbish dump was redesigned as the beautiful Buttes-Chaumont park. Among new public buildings, the Opera House was designed by Charles Garnier. Garnier was not a member of the social elite, and despite his role as the designer, he was never accorded the respect he deserved (he was offered an obscure seat on opening night, and rather than suffer the ignominy, he missed the event altogether and spent the evening working in his office). (Christiansen opens the book with a description of the Garnier Opera house on opening night, a glittering procession of smartly dressed men and women proceeding up the curved staircase).

Hausmann’s career ended in dishonor with him being accused of buying up land ahead of the announcement of a new project—it did not matter that he bought on the public account and there was no personal profiteering involved. Jealousy and resentment of his imperious ways might have played a part. He was forced to resign. Hausmann’s patron fared no better. Louis Napoleon's regime ended in chaos, with defeat to Prussia and the upheaval of the Paris Commune. He spent his last days in exile in England, a bitter old man. Though both the principals exited public life in disgrace, the “succession of marvels” they intended to achieve (and its motivating principle, “Hausmannism”) lived on and changed the face of Paris.

[Sarah Bigelow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably closer to 3.5 than 3.

In my ongoing bid to read everything I can find on the Second Empire, I come to this book, another foray into Napoleon III and Baron Georges-Eugene Haussmann’s bid to rebuild Paris in the 1850s and 1860s. This book is more of a sketch of the Haussmannization of Paris during the Second Empire than a deep dive, and i imagine it helps to bring some knowledge of the period to this book. It’s much better written than the other recent Haussmann book, 2013’s Paris Reborn (a book I have yet to get all the way through because the prose is so cringing), but it’s a slight, almost trivial survey of the Second Empire. The text skips from one building project to the next, sometimes devoting barely a page to some projects. The political history of the period is given even less attention - French involvement in Italy and Mexico together merit a paragraph and The Crimean War is never mentioned at all! These wars, and Napoleon III’s involvement in foreign conflict despite his promise that “the Empire means peace,” are crucial to understanding the road to the Franco-Prussian War, and they’re more or less ignored.

The best parts of the book outline the social ramifications of the rebuilding of Paris and the most interesting sections are those that explore how this new Paris benefited the middle class and wealthy at the expense of the poor and working classes. He also does a great job integrating reactions and quotes from contemporary sources, giving readers a decent idea of what Parisian citizens thought of the rebuilding at the time.

The book contains some factual errors (Marius isn’t actually dead when Jean Valjean carries him through the Paris sewers; Mathilde Bonaparte was the Prince Imperial’s second cousin, not his aunt, an especially awkward error considering Mathilde and Napoleon III were once engaged!). Christiansen also buys into the outdated and sexist notion the Empress Eugenie was “ghastly,” which annoyed me so much that I almost gave up on the book on page 38.

Christiansen fills out the book with an unnecessary digression into the Paris Commune of 1871, the violent period of upheaval directly after the Second Empire. No doubt his manuscript was 20 or 30 pages short and he decided to recycle text from his own book on the Commune, Paris Babylon. While interesting, and arguably tangentially related to Haussmann’s work, the Commune is not relevant enough to the main subject of this book to merit the amount of text devoted to it here.

Finally, I’m not sure why Christiansen wrote this book at all, as he doesn’t seem to particularly like Napoleon III or Baron Haussmann.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't you just hate it when you need a history of France's Second Empire and you're in a hurry? I mean, how does one select a book on this topic, which number as many cafes in Paris? Fortunately, Rupert Christiansen comes to the rescue with his le petit livre, "City of Light: The Making of Modern Paris", a compilation of the greatest hits from this tumultuous time. In a scant 172 pages, many filled with pictures, Christiansen recounts the rise of Louis Napoleon, who did what Trump only wishes he could do: have a successful coup and crown himself Emperor (but like Trump, got clobbered for his arrogance and the fact that nobody liked him). This is quickly followed by his selection of Baron von Haussmann (not really a baron, but it sounds good) to enforce what can only be called a massive gentrification of Paris, demolishing the slums, displacing the poor, and making a pleasure dome for the rich and middle class. These pleasures, which range from underground sewers, wide boulevards, to cabarets and parks, are briefly detailed before launching into the descent of the Second Empire at the hands of a displeased populace (living in one massive construction site for eighteen years tends to make people grouchy) and the Prussians. Christiansen shines in describing the Franco-Prussian War and the subsequent Commune and providing analysis of their impacts in just forty petit pages. His writing is succinct and engaging, like he was in a Second Empire State of Mind and decided to write a book about it. If you are someone who reads a lot abut Paris, much of this book is redundant and does not offer any new perspectives, but it is a good fix if you need one. If you are someone who either has a fledgling interest in Parisian history or is planning a trip to Paris, this book is a solid start in understanding the city. The city we see today is the legacy of the Second Empire and it is important to learn about before setting foot in the Périphérique.

[Melkor von Moltke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuing my apparent little kick on the architectural history of France, I just finished Versailles by Colin Jones a few days ago and Mr. Christiansen's work is a good work to continue the story of French leaders and their architecture, City of Light is an interesting, albeit short, take on the development of Paris during the Second Empire. The meat of the work is focused on the grand carnival of Louis Napoleon's reign, particularly the work of Haussmann to "modernize" Paris. Mr. Christiansen present's the Second Emperors grand ambitions, as well as those who sought to build upon and subvert those ambitions, in an engaging and largely entertaining manner. Readers will also be introduced to a light history of France from the fall of Louis-Phillipe, and subsequent rise of Louis Napoleon, to the collapse of the Second Empire in the face of the Franco-Prussian War and subsequent Commune.

As far as negatives, there isn't much to say. Occasionally minor figures are mentioned a few times and sort of lost, but the main actors remain clear and distinct. The architecture descriptions are occasionally a bit tedious but generally do not slow down the narrative.

All in all, if you're interested in a brief overview of Napoleon III's reign, particularly Haussmann's efforts at renovation, this is good work to pick up.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley.

[Anne Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A surprisingly short and quick read, "City of Light" explores the development of the city of Paris under Louis Napoleon. From about 1850-1870 the nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte ruled France and made the modernization and improvement of the infrastructure of the city of Paris his main focus. Headed by Georges-Eugene Haussmann, ruthless rebuilding and renovation moved thousands of poor Parisians out of their homes to make room for large, straight roads, new apartments, shops, etc. Haussmann improved the quality of running water in Paris, lessened traffic congestion, and emptied marshes that caused could air and epidemics among the citizens.

"City of Light" is a fast read, with a surprising number of gorgeous photographs of the changing city of Paris. Although occasionally the writing wanders a little, and I would have appreciated a bit more depth to more of the book, it was a nice read that history lovers, architects, and those who love Paris will enjoy.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick little informative read about the rise and fall of the Second Empire and the person most responsible for planning out and making Paris' roads and parks of that time streamlined and efficient as well as getting the plumbing/sanitation sorted out. Not without his faults, Baron Haussmann appears to have been a difficult but effective personality.

The background it was set in was interesting but I took away a star as the author seemed to sometimes forget that most readers (myself included) are starting with next to no knowledge of the time period. For instance, he refers offhand to Louis Napoleon Bonaparte's wife as "Eugenie" despite not having noted Napoleon's marriage, just his early lovers and took me some time researching online to figure out who he was talking about. Other gaps occur and it makes it hard to follow when making jumps like this. Otherwise well written and appears to be well researched and learned a lot about the time period.

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brisk look at Baron Haussmann's Second Empire overhaul of Paris' street grid. Boy the man loved demolition, wide streets, and fast-growing trees. Liberal sprinkling of illustrations through this volume really helped. History seemed rushed at times, particularly involving Napoleon III, the war with Prussians, and the Commune disaster of the 70s. Some of that history, in fact, seemed tacked on merely to make the book longer.

Totally random, but gives me the opportunity to recommend a great book: if you're looking for a good work of historical fiction based on the Franco-Prussian war (a conflict on which I wrote a college term paper, and thus which has always been close to my heart), check out Empires of Sand. Dare I say it is Wilbur Smithian?

[Frances · Rating 4 out of 5]

I began reading this book while in Paris, having found it through a basic "Paris" search on Libby. It quickly became clear that it was the perfect book to read while walking around Paris. It was a perfect refresher and enhancer of my understanding of this bit of history/urban planning.

When only a short way into the book, I spotted it at Shakespeare&Co and immediately bought the paper copy. It is a book with some excellent photos, much more easily examined in paper than on iPad. It is a book worth keeping to reread the next time I am there.

And of course, it was so fascinating to read about Haussmann after having read The Power Broker, about Robert Moses.

[Cait · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really interesting read about a particular part in the history of the building of Paris.

I have two complaints however:
1. I do wish some things were explained a bit better - sometimes the author thought you knew more than you actually did, so occasionally I got a bit lost.
2. He had 3 different instances where he described 3 different women in really terribly terms, and the descriptive he gave each of them was completely unnecessary and not something he did with men.

Overall however, it was an enjoyable read, and I learned a lot.

[Cassandra Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about how the famous opera houses and infrastructure of Paris came into fruition. Christiansen also gave a brief history of France after the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte, including key figures during the makeover. No expense was spared in building cultural attractions, improving the sewer system, or widening the streets to reduce traffic, despite the limited amount of funds in the national treasury. All classes benefited from the beauty of tree-lined streets, venues for the performing arts, and better sanitation. These edifices still draw countless amounts of visitors.

[Linda Munroe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covering the period from 1853- 1875 this book describes the 'renovation' of downtown Paris that took place during the time of the emperor Louis-Napolean, The public works program that took Paris from a very unhealthy medieval city to the City of Light was headed up by Georges-Eugene Haussmann. It includes huge changes, the invasion by Bismark which ended Louis-Napolean's rule and led to the Paris's civil war, the Paris Commune and the massacre called La semaine sanglante (the bloody week).
This is interesting history and all new to me.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great overview of the building of "modern" Paris - most of which still stands today despite several wars, the Prussian siege and the Commune. Through sheer will Hausmann and Louis-Napolean upgraded a decaying city neglected by earlier years of turmoil and war. Progressive for their time they built up innovate ideas like wide boulevards and modern sewers. They also exploited workers ran up tremendous amounts of debt. I liked the way the incorporated the history of France into the re-building of Paris and reading this book just after a trip to Paris made it all come alive!

[Miles Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good overview of Baron Haussmann and the modernization of Paris that occurred during the Second French Empire ca 1853-1870. Its a short work, but it provides details that might surprise non-specialists--I has no idea that Haussmann was a Protestant--and educated laypeople as well. Its length kept me from giving it 4 stars. Its not long enough to really suck you in. But its a good book and an excellent read for anyone interested in the Second Empire or Paris.

[Erik Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

This pithy history of Paris in the era of Napoleon III and George Haussmann will be of interest to anyone who loves the City of Light. The author does a nice job of explaining the elements, wide and straight avenues, parks and fountains, functioning sewers and water works, and the new apartment buildings that came to define the 19th c. city. This would be a great book for someone who was getting ready to visit Paris for the first time. For those already familiar, it will be a great refresher.

[Eliza · Rating 4 out of 5]

2.7.21: City of Light is a short history of the mid-19th century period of great building and expansion of Paris, the reign of Louis Napoleon, and the rise and fall of Baron Haussmann. Well-written, concise, and accessible, with wonderful and well-chosen details and a sure sense of the feeling of Paris as the gorgeous (and French) city that it is. A quick read, instructive and entertaining. I’d recommend it to anyone who loves Paris!