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Flights in France will once again be hit by the ongoing strikes against the government's pensions reforms on Tuesday.


France's civil aviation authority the DGAC announced on Monday afternoon that it had asked airlines to reduce their flights to and from Paris Orly airport by 20 percent on Tuesday.
The DGAC said that because of strike notices lodged by air traffic control unions it had asked airlines to cancel flights to and from Orly on Tuesday December 17th.
"The DGAC will set up the minimum service provisions in the air traffic control centers and at airports where regulations allow," the authority said in a statement on Tuesday.
It warned that there may be disruptions and delays to all flights to and from France due to the strike action and has asked customers to check with their airlines about the status of their flight.
Nevertheless the impact on flights on Tuesday is far less than during previous strike days earlier in December.
Air traffic controllers and airport ground staff joined the anti-pension reform strikes on both December 5th and December 10th.
On both those days around one fifth of flights to and from all of France's biggest airports had to be cancelled.
Air France was forced to cancel around 30 percent of internal and short-haul international flights with airlines such as Easyjet and Ryanair also having to ground scores of flights to and from France.
With 35,000 objects displayed in more than 60,000 square meters, a definitive top 10 of the world’s most popular museum, the Louvre, seems like a gesture of insanity. Consider this a guide to the most popular and perfect pieces in the Paris establishment.

Caravaggio, 'Death of the Virgin', Oil on Canvas, 369cm x 245cm, 1606 | Public Domain/WikiCommons
Caravaggio, ‘Death of the Virgin’, Oil on Canvas, 369cm x 245cm

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio – Death of the Virgin, c.1605-6

Caravaggio was the raconteur and revolutionary painter of his day, and in Death of a Virgin we can see why. Where his contemporaries worked to depict the saints as unattainable ideals, Caravaggio’s saints are bestowed with the agonies and ugliness of reality. In this particular work, the universal human emotions of grief and despair are exposed to us. This art also features his most sensuous painting of fabric, with the red drapes occupying one-third of the canvas. Caravaggio painted a masterpiece that can still speak volumes to us in this increasingly secular age, featuring a strong depth of emotional truth.

Jacques-Louis David – The Consecration of the Emperor Napoleon and the Coronation of Empress Joséphine on December 2, 1804, 1806

After working as the ‘official artist’ of the French Revolution and leaving us with a series of epic canvases that will color interpretations of those events forever, Jacques-Louis David became court painter of the Second French Empire under Napoleon. In this role, he painted this detailed study of this emperor. For those who come to the Louvre wishing to understand more about French history, this is an essential viewing. The stillness and pomp of Napoleon’s image is emblematic of how far France had changed since David’s kinetic, activity-filled drawing of the Tennis Court Oath, one of the crucial events from the beginning of the Revolution.

Eugène Delacroix, 'Liberty Leading the People', Oil on Canvas, 260cm x 325cm, 1830 | Public Domain/WikiCommons
Eugène Delacroix, ‘Liberty Leading the People’, Oil on Canvas, 260cm x 325cm

Eugène Delacroix – Liberty Leading the People, 1830

This is one of the Louvre’s paintings so famous it has taken on a life of its own, Liberty Leading the People has inspired everything from the Statue of Liberty, Les Misérables to Coldplay’s Viva La Vida album cover. This legacy, rather than lessening the impact of the original actually makes it even more mesmerizing. A founding image from which modern France takes much of its identity, with the central female figure becoming codified as the definitive ‘Marianne’ (a symbol of France). More generally, however, it is one of art’s most stunning representations of ‘liberté, égalité, fraternité’, and one of the most potent depictions of revolution ever painted.

Anthony van Dyck – Charles I of England, c. 1635

Among the hallowed halls of the Louvre you will find many representations of great men, hundreds of depictions of kings, queens, emperors and gods. Of these, one of the greatest is van Dyck’s portrait of the ill-fated Charles I of England. In this work, van Dyck tempers the melancholia of much of his best work to portray a monarch of poise and unquestionable authority. That history shows us that this rendering was far from the truth makes the painter’s achievement even more remarkable here. It shows in one painting why van Dyck was so in demand as a court painter in Britain.
Théodore Géricault, 'The Raft of the Medusa', Oil on Canvas, 491cm x 716cm, 1818-9 | Public Domain/WikiCommons
Théodore Géricault, ‘The Raft of the Medusa’, Oil on Canvas, 491cm x 716cm

Théodore Géricault – The Raft of the Medusa, 1818-9

This painting of a shipwreck ironically launched a wave of work in French Romanticism. Although it has been seen by so many in countless art history books, a visit to the original in the Louvre is a must. To enter the room it hangs in is to be bombarded by the painting (measuring an epic 5 meters by 7 meters) and to be confronted by its convincing depiction of the real savagery of man under pressure. After all, the sinking of the real Medusa was the scandal of its day, with all but 15 of those on board perishing. Those that survived had avoided starvation through cannibalism.
Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, 'The Valpinçon Bather', Oil on Canvas, 146cm x 97.5cm, 1808 | Public Domain/WikiCommons
Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, ‘The Valpinçon Bather’, Oil on Canvas, 146cm x 97.5cm

Jean Auguste Ingres – The Valpinçon Bather, 1808

This female nude redefined the form. Its painter, Ingres, became known for his mastery of depicting flesh. ‘The Valpinçon Bather’ has influenced everyone with an interest in the human body, from Lucian Freud to Man Ray, whose famous photograph of a woman with violin holes drawn on her back is titled ‘Violon d’Ingres’. Far from being worth seeing due to its influence, however, the original is a must-see in its own right due to its being the best work of one of the greatest painters of the female form of all time. It is a painting that still influences how women are depicted in art even to this day.

Leonardo da Vinci – Mona Lisa, c.1503-6

Although you will have to fight through an army of selfie stick carriers to even get a glimpse of it, who could conceive visiting the Louvre without seeing the most famous painting in the world? Thousands of pages have been written about every detail of the elusive sitter, and Leonardo’s technique has been analyzed with more scrutiny than any other artist. Yet the painting still manages to hold on to its aura. It is almost impossible for one small work to live up to so much hype, but if any painting could manage, it would be this one.

Michelangelo, 'The Dying Slave', Marble, 215cm x 82 cm x 82 cm, 1513-6
Michelangelo, ‘The Dying Slave’, Marble, 215cm x 82 cm x 82 cm.

Michelangelo – The Dying Slave, c.1513-6

The only other genius of the Renaissance that can match the legendary status of da Vinci, Michelangelo Buonarroti’s Dying Slave shares the complex mix of emotion and eroticism of his most famous work, his statue of David in Florence. The Dying Slave features all of the agony and the ecstasy that characterizes the artists’ work (and led to the famous novel and film of the same name). That he was able to produce such a masterwork immediately after completing the Sistine Chapel tells you everything you need to know about the genius of Michelangelo, the master of all the art forms of his day.


Unknown, Monument of King Naramsin, c.2270 BCE

Although the Louvre is best known for its collection of art in Europe from the 14th to 19th century, the museum also houses a treasure trove of items from antiquity. Of these, one of the oldest is the Monument of King Naramsin, made in Mesopotamia 2000 years before the birth of Christ. It shows the aforementioned king treading over a vanquished enemy. This work begins a tradition of depictions of royal power that can be seen across thousands of the museum’s items.
Alexandros of Antioch, 'Aphrodite of Milos', Marble, 203cm x 40cm x 40cm, c. 130-00 BCE | Public Domain/WikiCommons

Alexandros of Antioch, ‘Aphrodite of Milos’

Alexandros of Antioch, Aphrodite of Milos, c.130-100 BCE

The Louvre’s second most visited work after the Mona Lisa, the Milos Aphrodite (better known as the Venus de Milo) has remained just elusive as that 16th-century painting. Although recent developments have been made, much about the statue remained a mystery for many years. Most famously: where are the arms originally attached to the statue located? Whatever the answers to the questions surrounding it though, what we can be sure of is that the Venus de Milo will remain one of the greatest examples of female grace to be found in the Western art canon.

The Louvre by all accounts is one of the biggest art museums on Earth. Whether by the number of visitors, the size of the complex or the actual amount of artworks contained therein, it consistently ranks as the first or second in the world. Yet despite this size, the Louvre is known almost exclusively for the Venus de Milo and Mona Lisa. Of the 15,000 visitors who pass through its halls each day, most zip through the main Louvre galleries from one of these famous expatriate ladies to the other, with scarcely a pause in between. Needless to say, they’re missing out on some of the most unforgettable art they’ve never seen. Here are the most intriguing overlooked Louvre masterpieces.


Sleeping Hermaphroditus
The mattress upon which it lies was sculpted by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 1620, carved from white marble with such masterful finesse that any viewer would find themselves resisting the urge to give it a test poke. The figure itself was carved by an unknown artist in the second century AD and pulled from the ground in 1608 near the Baths of Diocletian, Rome. This older part generates most of the intrigue surrounding the work. Having the appearance of a sensuous female nude when viewed from behind, this is what most passersby see of Hermaphroditus. Take the time to stop and investigate from the front, and you will receive quite a surprise. Perhaps most surprising of all is that the mattress was commissioned by Cardinal Scipio Borghese, a Catholic Church bigwig at the time, homoerotic art collector and challenger of the idea that history was as small minded as we imagine it.
Location: Denon Wing, Ground Floor
©Jastrow/Wikimedia Commons

Palmyra Busts

These exquisite funerary busts from the Levant in the second century give us both the likenesses and often detailed life stories of the figures they memorialize, forming some of the earliest portraiture humanity has. The fact that the town of origin, Palmyra, was recently held by the art-destroying insurgent group ISIS adds to the preciousness of the pieces stored safely in the Louvre. It’s ironic the works that so incense militants bore civilians so.
Location: Sully Wing, Ground Floor
©Jastrow/Wikimedia Commons (Compiled from sources: 1,2 and 3)

St. Mary Magdalene

Depicting the intriguing figure of Christianity and Dan Brown fame, Gregor Erhart’s wooden figure Saint Mary Magdalene recasts the often overlooked fallen-woman archetype as an ascetic mystic, post-salvation, living in a cave, clothed only by her hair. It’s a rarity among female nudes, religious images and 16th-century art.
Location: Denon Wing, Lower Ground Floor
©Ricardo Andre Frantz/Wikimedia Commons

Une Odalisque

With a literal English title of Harem Girl, Une Odalisque, painted by Jean-August-Dominique Ingres, scandalized France when it was unveiled in 1812. Not only because it was a nude that took a modern, rather than historical, subject (the past was considered a far more tasteful time to be nude) but also because the figure was considered a departure from anatomical realism. Indeed, the figure does have a few spinal vertebrae too many. Whether a careless mistake or a deliberate distortion, one thing was certain: abstraction would be the way of the future.
Location: Denon Wing, First Floor
©Wikimedia Commons

The Wedding at Cana

With the unfortunate fate of being stored in the same room as the Mona Lisa, Paolo Veronese’s The Wedding at Cana, in which Jesus Christ at a wedding party in Cana, Galilee, performs his first miracle by turning water into wine, is fabulous art. The painting, crafted with exceptional skill, is curiously convoluted. More than 100 human figures feature (130 to be exact), and each is unique, with many being radically different. Costumes of antiquity sit next to anachronistic Italian fashion of the artist’s own time. Among the party-goers, several dogs, a cat and even a parakeet are to be found. The profane and the profound sit side by side, getting drunk together. This is a painting begging for a long pause and thorough examination, and yet it hangs barely noticed in the most-visited room in the most-visited museum in the Western world.
Location: Denon Wing, First Floor


©Wikimedia Commons

View of an Interior, or The Slippers

For a museum housing some 5,500 examples of Western culture’s proudest accomplishments, society’s runner-up gender is shamefully underrepresented at the Louvre, with just 21 female artists featured. Samuel Van Hoogstraten’s View of an Interior represents one of many male comments on female sexuality in which the woman is, quite literally in this case, absent. In an empty household hall, two slippers lie abandoned on the floor, a broom rests against a wall, and a book sits closed on a table next to a freshly extinguished candle. To you, a casual museum stroller on your way to the gift shop, it could almost look like a simple still life. To a viewer in the 17th century, the message would have been obvious: these elements, seemingly discarded around the room at random, are not there by mistake. The broom symbolizes neglected household duties; the closed book, neglected scripture; the slippers, indoor shoes, lying abandoned in the middle of the floor: nakedness. Female sexuality once again brings about the fall of civilization. Perhaps Cardinal Borghese was an exception…
Location: Sully Wing, Second Floor
File:Samuel van Hoogstraten - View of a Corridor - WGA11721.jpg
Samuel van Hoogstraten, View of an Interior | Courtesy 

Fayum Portraits

Dating from the Coptic Period in Egypt, the Fayum Portraits, naturalistic likenesses of individual subjects painted onto wooden boards and attached to mummies, bear a striking Greco-Roman, rather than typically Egyptian, influence. Egypt’s arid climate means that these paintings have been remarkably well preserved, giving us the opportunity for a face-to-face encounter with human beings in the first few centuries of the Common Era.
Location: Denon Wing, Lower Ground Floor

Phoenician Sarcophagi

With their origins in the fifth century BC, Phoenician Sarcophagi were principally influenced by Ancient Egyptian funerary art, but they also have notable Greek sculptural influences, resulting in a strange juxtaposition of two familiar and disparate styles, making these an early example of multiculturalism in art.
Location: Sully Wing, Ground Floor



©Rita1234/Wikimedia Commons

Portrait of Jean II le Bon

Jean II, the Good, was king from 1350 until 1364. A reign that saw numerous events of distant history such as the loss of nearly half of France’s population to the black death and the creation of the Franc, Jean II’s portrait is remarkable for being the oldest example of individual portraiture in France, and possibly all of Western Europe.
Location: Richelieu Wing, Second Floor

Charles V’s Gold Scepter

Although the Louvre is principally known for classic works of painting and artifacts from the ancient world, the 14th-century artifact of King Charles’ Gold Scepter is a rare gem among the Louvre’s jewelry collection. As one of the few relics of the French monarchs of the Middle Ages that wasn’t melted down or lost to time, it’s a rare artifact of pre-revolutionary France and one that lies in a section where tourists seldom stop.
Location: Denon Wing, First Floor
©Siren Com/Wikimedia Commons
Detail of Charlemagne from top of scepter

Za Djeda Mraza se tradicionalno kaže da stanuje na Sjevernom polu a koji je ovih dana počeo dobivati sve više pisama djece širom svijeta sa svojim željama za Božićne blagdane kada će započeti svoj redovni godišnji obilazak kućanstava. 
No kad bi mu prebivalište ovisilo o tome odakle dolazi jedan od najpopularnijih poklona koji dobivaju milijuni djece širom svijeta, Djed Mraz bi stanovao nešto bliže i južnije – u danskom Billundu



Gradić od šest tisuća stanovnika u središnjoj Danskoj poznat je po tome što u njemu svoje sjedište ima jedna od najpoznatijih tvornica igračaka – Lego. S 29,6 milijardi kruna prihoda 2017. (tečaj danske krune i hrvatske kune kreće se otprilike u razini 1:1) i više od sedam milijardi kruna dobiti, Lego je, kao i švedska Ikea, posveta skandinavskoj poslovnoj ingenioznosti.

Obična plastična kockica

Naizgled vrlo jednostavan proizvod – obična plastična kockica – već se desetljećima nalazi među najpopularnijim i najpoznatijim igračkama, ali i proizvodima općenito. Usprkos tome, poslovna priča danske kompanije umalo nije završila prije desetak godina.


U Legovoj tvornici Izvor: Profimedia / Autor: Profimedia

Povijest tvrtke seže u tridesete godine prošlog stoljeća. Stolar Ole Kirk Kristiansen je 1932. osnovao obrt koji je proizvodio razne proizvode od drva, među kojima i drvene igračke. Dvije godine kasnije tvrtka je usvojila ime Lego, što je skraćenica od danskih riječi leg godt (igraj se dobro), također Riječ "LEGO" na latinskom može značiti "skupljam", "spajam" i "čitam", što posebno prva dva značenja imaju veliku relevantnost.A što osnivač tada nije znao.
Početak 2. svjetskog rata dočekala je s desetak zaposlenika.

Nakon rata Lego prvi u Danskoj kupuje stroj za izradu plastičnih igračaka, a moderna povijest tvrtke započinje 1958., kad je patentiran danas poznat način spajanja plastičnih kockica Lego i kad je kompaniju preuzeo sin osnivača, Godtfred Kirk Kristiansen. Kompanija je i danas u vlasništvu obitelji Kristiansen, jedne od najbogatijih danskih obitelji.

Uzeli primat Ferrariju i Mattelu

Iako su kockice Lego poznate generacijama djece diljem svijeta, sama kompanija svoje najbolje razdoblje bilježi upravo u posljednjih desetak godina. Prije nepunih godinu dana konzultantska kuća Brand Finance proglasila je Lego najjačim brendom na svijetu. Tu je titulu oduzeo talijanskom proizvođaču automobila Ferrariju, a u prvoj polovici prošle godine Lego je od američkog konkurenta Mattela preuzeo i poziciju najvećeg svjetskog proizvođača igračaka.

Te su titule prvenstveno posljedica vrlo uspješnog poslovanja. Od 2010. prihodi Lega godišnje rastu za više od deset posto. Posljednji dostupni podaci pokazuju da su u prvih šest mjeseci 2018. prihodi porasli čak 18 posto u odnosu na isto razdoblje godinu prije, i to na 14,1 milijardu kruna. Dobit je istovremeno skočila na 3,6 milijardi, osamstotinjak milijuna kruna više nego u prvom dijelu 2017.

Fokus na proizvodnju igrački i preporod

No kompanija je 2004. imala gubitak od gotovo dvije milijarde kruna i bila je na rubu propasti. Te godine je na poziciju glavnog izvršnog direktora izabran Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, a on vodi Lego grupu i danas. Na krilima uspjeha u prethodnim godinama Lego je do 2004. snažno širio poslovanje izvan same proizvodnje igračaka. Tako se kompanija bavila i proizvodnjom odjeće, izdavaštvom, kao i izradom videoigrica. Među najznačajnijim investicijama nalazila se i izgradnja zabavnih parkova, ali oni su 2005. prodani kako bi se poslovna politika ponovno fokusirala na proizvodnju igračaka.

Taj je zaokret donio preporod. Od tada do danas prihodi kompanije rastu, a dodatno je ojačala veza između kupaca i tvrtke. Lego je posebnu pažnju posvetio jačanju brenda, a dio strategije bio je i dugometražni film napravljen u suradnji s producentskom kućom Warner Bros. i prikazan u kinima 2014., a donio je prihode veće od 470 milijuna dolara. Kompanija danas ima prodajne urede u više od stotinu država svijeta, a proizvodnja se obavlja na četiri lokacije: u Billundu u Danskoj, u mađarskom gradu Nyíregyházi, češkom gradu Kladnu te u gradu Monterreyju u Meksiku.

Samo 18 defektnih proizvoda na milijun komada

Krajem prošle godine proizvodnja je trebala krenuti i u Kini, odakle Lego namjerava snabdijevati azijsko tržište. Da se u Legu nadaju još svjetlijoj budućnosti, uz ulaganje u Kini, svjedoči najava širenja proizvodnje u Meksiku. Iz kompanije su objavili da su spremni investirati i više od 100 milijuna eura, no da će pravi iznosi ulaganja ovisiti o budućoj potražnji za proizvodima. Sve u svemu, kompanija danas ima oko 13 tisuća stalno zaposlenih radnika.


Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, izvrši direktor Lega Lego/Autor: Lego

Male plastične kockice čine se kao vrlo jednostavan proizvod za kopiranje i, posebno ako se uzmu u obzir često visoke cijene Legovih setova, punu jeftiniju ponudu na tržištu pa se postavlja pitanje kako Lego uspijeva održati tako visoku profitabilnost i popularnost. Među osnovnim postulatima proizvodnje, na koje su u Legu vrlo ponosni, nalazi se izrazito visoka fokusiranost na kvalitetu izrade i izdržljivost

Kalupi od kojih se izrađuju kockice Lego proizvode se gotovo isključivo u Njemačkoj, a na njihov razvoj troši se mnogo energije i novca. Tolerancija prilikom lijevanja plastike je minimalna, a u kompaniji ističu da to u konačnici u prosjeku dovodi do samo 18 defektnih proizvoda na milijun komada. Visoka izdržljivost i trajnost Legovih kockica jedan je od razloga lojalnosti kupaca jer se kockicama kupljenim i prije dvadeset i trideset godina bez problema djeca mogu igrati i danas. Takva predanost kvaliteti, od samih sirovina do krajnjeg proizvoda, diže cijenu igračkama, zbog čega konačni proizvod nije jeftin.

Legove kolekcije su investicija

Drugi razlog zbog kojeg Lego uspijeva i dalje držati visoku cijenu svojih igračaka je poslovna politika da se određeni tematizirani skupovi igračaka nude na tržištu samo određeno vrijeme. Nakon toga proizvodnja im prestaje, a setovima cijena nerijetko raste zbog kolekcionarske vrijednosti. Dapače, rast cijene može biti i takav da se kupnja Legovih igračaka može smatrati i solidnim ulaganjem.

Kako bi pospješili ovu poslovnu politiku, u Legu su proteklih godina dodatno skratili razdoblja u kojima se pojedini tematski setovi prodaju na tržištu. Tako se neke igračke na policama trgovina mogu pronaći samo godinu dana, a prije su ta razdoblja trajala i po nekoliko godina.

Ovakav potez omogućen je dijelom i prelaskom na digitalnu tehnologiju prilikom dizajniranja setova. Od ideje do konačnog proizvoda u trgovini sada treba otprilike godinu dana, a prije je taj proces trajao i po tri godine.


Legići na temu filma Star Wars trenutno su najpopularniji  / Autor: Profimedia


Lego svoj izlet u digitalni svijet nije ograničio samo na kompaniju. Još 2004. kupcima je ponudio računalnu aplikaciju kojom su mogli sami dizajnirati svoju željenu igračku te proslijediti svoj dizajn u tvornicu kako bi se igračka za njih i proizvela. No ta se opcija ipak pokazala preskupom te je onemogućena 2012. iako kupcima i danas ostaje mogućnost da aplikacijom dizajniraju vlastite zamisli te onda podijele dizajn s drugim kupcima Lega diljem svijeta.


Zaštita okoliša i ravnopravnost spolova


Danska kompanija je godinama bila i metom kritika organizacija za zaštitu okoliša zbog toga što kao sirovinu za izradu plastike koristi naftu te zbog toga što visoka kvaliteta plastike garantira da se Legove igračke neće razgraditi tijekom godina kao neki drugi manje kvalitetni plastični proizvodi. U Legu kažu da je izdržljivost njihovih proizvoda jedan od najvažnijih doprinosa zaštiti okoliša jer se oni ne bacaju, nego ih nasljeđuju nove generacije djece. Također, tvrde da recikliraju više od 90 posto otpada koji nastaje prilikom proizvodnje.


Posljednjih godina Lego je dospio i na metu kritika da su im igračke usmjerene prije svega na mušku djecu, na što su u kompaniji odgovorili stvaranjem setova namijenjenih djevojčicama. Najavili su kako će u budućnosti prilikom dizajniranja novih igračaka puno više pažnje posvećivati izjednačavanju zastupljenosti igračaka za oba spola


Danska kompanija je u proteklom desetljeću, a posebno u prošlih pet godina, doživjela renesansu. Širenje proizvodnje i ulaganja znaci su da se u Legu nadaju da će se nastaviti takav trend, a relativno svježa lekcija iz povijesti trebala bi biti osigurač da se nerealne ambicije izvan uske sfere proizvodnje igračaka neće ponavljati. Lojalnost kupaca nalazi se među adutima Lega, no u povijesti biznisa ne nedostaje primjera toga da samo jedan krivi potez može u potpunosti izokrenuti sudbinu i najuspješnijih kompanija.
The architecture of Paris is glorious. From the impressive Louvre Pyramid to the innovative Eiffel Tower, every street offers a spectacle of innovation. But there’s one treasure that most tourists don’t even notice: the smallest house in Paris.

Small but exceptional Parisian architecture

The smallest building in Paris is tucked away unsuspectedly at number 39 rue du Château d’Eau. This is despite what you might be told on the popular Seine river cruises when you glide past this similarly tiny house located at 13 Quai Voltaire in the 7th arrondissement.

Measuring a meagre 1,10 metres wide and five metres high, the smallest house in Paris is actually even smaller than 13 Quai Voltaire. In fact, it’s so tiny that most tourists don’t even notice it exists as a separate building as they stroll through the city.

If tourists do give it a second glance, the building seems to be nothing more than a natural connection between two neighbouring six-floor houses. However, there’s a wealth of mysterious secrets hidden within the ancient walls of this tiny abode.

A mysterious heritage embroiled in a dispute

Despite the quaint appearance and adorable miniature design of Paris‘s smallest building, the origin of this property is said to have been embroiled in a heated dispute between the local neighbours.
The space between the two buildings, located opposite the Town Hall of the 10th district and alongside the Marché Saint-Martin, used to be a narrow passageway open to public use. The house, as it happens, was purposely built right upon this passageway after a dispute between two families but it formed part of a clever, if not risky, plan.

A curious tactic to solve ownership arguments

The house was built at the place of a bustling passage between the streets rue du Château d’Eau and rue du Faubourg Saint-Martin and everyone wanted to claim a share of this very important piece of land.

After a heated argument about who should own the rights of access to the passageway, one of the parties decided to end the argument by simply filling the gap with a new property. If there was no more passageway, then there would be nothing left to argue about. There would simply be no winners and no losers.
Of course, today, this brazing approach would fire up more anger than it hoped to resolve but back then, it clearly worked as it’s stayed up ever since.

Fighting to prove its status

While the house wasn’t knocked down, despite the uproar its impromptu construction naturally caused, the property wasn’t recognised as such until after a little protesting. For a long time, it was seen simply as an obstruction that blocked this once very convenient passageway through Paris.

Eventually, though, the building was officially recognised with its own number in the street and proudly sports the address it won to this day as 39 rue du Château d’Eau.
But for the most part, it was never viewed as more than a tiny shop unit on the ground floor, originally belonging to a shoemaker with a room above, since it connected with the first-floor building at number 41. Only in recent years has it started to be appreciated as an independent structure.

From an old shoemaker’s room to a baby’s abode

The shoe repair shop reigned its busy commerce until the start of the 19th century, at which point, it transformed into a shop selling baby clothes.

A newspaper article at the end of the 19th century describes in greater detail the peculiar design of this miniature property, which seems to explain the inspiration behind its re-transformation.
It explains that the room was mostly used to house a sleeping baby. But, since the room’s space was so limited – just 1,10 metres wide and five metres high – the cot apparently took up the entire space.
Whether this intriguing legend of a whole house for just one baby is an urban myth or not, it would have been a very cosy – and less quarrelsome – space to grow up.


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