Haussmann begins work – the Croisée de Paris (1853–59) Haussmann's renovation of Paris

the rue de rivoli, shown here in 1855, first boulevard built haussmann, , served model others.



the boulevards , streets built napoléon iii , haussmann during second empire shown in red. built bois de boulogne park (green area on left), bois de vincennes park containing zoo (green area on right), parc des buttes-chaumont, parc montsouris , dozens of smaller parks , squares.

napoléon iii dismissed berger prefect of seine , sought more effective manager. minister of interior, victor de persigny, interviewed several candidates, , selected georges eugène haussmann, native of alsace , prefect of gironde (capital: bordeaux), impressed persigny energy, audacity, , ability overcome or around problems , obstacles. became prefect of seine on 22 june 1853, , on 29 june emperor showed him map of paris , instructed haussmann aérer, unifier, et embellir paris: give air , open space, connect , unify different parts of city 1 whole, , make more beautiful.

haussmann went work on first phase of renovation desired napoléon iii; completing grande croisée de paris, great cross in centre of paris permit easier communication east west along rue de rivoli , rue saint-antoine, , north-south communication along 2 new boulevards, strasbourg , sébastopol. grand cross had been proposed convention during revolution, , begun napoléon i; napoléon iii determined complete it. completion of rue de rivoli given higher priority, because emperor wanted finished before opening of paris universal exposition of 1855, 2 years away, , wanted project include new hotel, grand hôtel du louvre, first large luxury hotel in city, house imperial guests @ exposition.

under emperor, haussmann had greater power of predecessors. in february 1851 french senate had simplified laws on expropriation, giving him authority expropriate land on either side of new street; , did not have report parliament, emperor. french parliament, controlled napoléon iii, provided fifty million francs, not enough. napoléon iii appealed péreire brothers, Émile , isaac, 2 bankers had created new investment bank, crédit mobilier. péreire brothers organised new company raised 24 million francs finance construction of street, in exchange rights develop real estate along route. became model building of of haussmann s future boulevards.

to meet deadline, 3 thousand workers laboured on new boulevard twenty-four hours day. rue de rivoli completed, , new hotel opened in march 1855, in time welcome guests exposition. junction made between rue de rivoli , rue saint-antoine; in process haussmann restyled place du carrousel, opened new square, place saint-germain l auxerrois facing colonnade of louvre; reorganized space between hôtel de ville , place du châtelet. between hôtel , ville , bastille square, widened rue saint-antoine; careful save historic hôtel de sully , hôtel de mayenne, many other buildings, both medieval , modern, knocked down make room wider street, , several ancient, dark , narrow streets, rue de l arche-marion, rue du chevalier-le-guet , rue des mauvaises-paroles, disappeared map.

in 1855, work began on north-south axis, beginning boulevard de strasbourg , boulevard sébastopol, cut through center of of crowded neighborhoods in paris, cholera epidemic had been worst, between rue saint-martin , rue saint-denis. gutting of old paris, haussmann wrote satisfaction in memoires: of neighborhood of riots, , of barricades, 1 end other. boulevard sébastopol ended @ new place du châtelet; new bridge, pont-au-change, constructed across seine, , crossed island on newly built street. on left bank, north-south axis continued boulevard saint-michel, cut in straight line seine observatory, , then, rue d enfer, extended way route d orléans. north-south axis completed in 1859.

the 2 axes crossed @ place du châtelet, making center of haussmann s paris. haussmann widened square, moved fontaine du palmier, built napoléon i, center , built 2 new theaters, facing each other across square; cirque impérial (now théâtre du châtelet) , théâtre lyrique (now théâtre de la ville).