Paris like you’ve never seen it — timelapse video shows 2,300 years of change

The romantics and food enthusiasts have Paris on their travel and exploring lists but the city wasn’t always as illuminated and captivating. A timelapse shared by CITY 3D TIMELAPSE captured how the place went from nothing but greenery to the lavish capital of France it is today. Going back to -300BCE, the clip revealed that it wasn’t until -100BCE that there was some growth and development in Paris. According to Open Culture, the city began from the middle Seine and grew into its vast, vibrant, and thriving economy. Different eras and rules brought different establishments to birth, and it’s fascinating to see how much more the city now holds. 

Until around -100BCE, the visuals show nothing but green land, as if it were freshly bought, ready to be worked on. At this mark, a few houses and establishments were shown. Moving to around 90BCE, the Roman era began, and so did much development. This era continued for quite a few centuries until 550BCE before the Frankish Era surfaced. During these hundreds of years, the city grew richly, with settlements and more developing bountifully. The standard Cardo Maximus, today known as the Rue Saint-Jacques, was also established during this period. 

Surprisingly, during the Frankish era, a lot of these settlements disappeared, some moving to the other side of the river while still others just trading off for smaller exhibits. This was mainly due to the wars, damage, attacks by invaders, and so on, according to the Francophiles Anonymes. It was thereafter in the medieval period that things took a bustling turn. The city greatly developed some of its historical infrastructure, a few of which still stand today. A clip shared by Anton and Sinan on YouTube dives deeper into a few of the creations built between the 11th and 16th centuries. These included Hôtel de Sens, built in 1345, the Wall of Philippe Auguste, the village of Saint-Paul, Saint-Jacques Tower around the 14th century, among others. 

The modern era began around the 15th century, with basic settlements turning into fine, contemporary spaces. The city was also defined and expanded under the reign of various kings and leaders who fought to keep their establishments. According to Old Maps of Paris, this century also marked the period of the Renaissance in France but that didn’t stop the city from growing. The population increased from 150,000 at the start of the century to around 200,000 before the commencement of the 16th century. Around the 19th century began the Haussmann era, named after Georges-Eugène Haussmann, a prominent planner and leader of the time, as revealed in a study from Taylor and Francis.

The study noted that this era paved the way for industrialization and thereby globalization, bringing in commerce, international trade and even tourism to the upbeat level it stands at today. This period introduced urbanization of the city that went beyond just hygiene and economics to see Paris as a complex, artistic and thriving part of the country. Right from buildings to boulevards and parks, urban art was redefined along with the culture that is a distinct feature of the city today. After the Haussmann era, the industrial period began soon after, continuing the flourishing or “beautification” of the city.

This led to globalization from the 19th century to the present year. According to Statista, Paris is one of the largest cities with the highest cost of living. It is also ranked the most expensive city to live in. There are over 4,000 monuments and attractions in the city, the Louvre Museum being the most visited one. If you look at it from this time-lapse, Paris wasn’t just revolutionizing year after year or decade after decade; it was building the foundation from one century going into the next with a futuristic hope for the decades to follow. 

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