Campos Eliseos

The Champs Elysees began as a swampy patch of gardens belonging to the French crown. In sixteen sixty-seven, landscape architect Andre Le Notre extended the Tuileries Garden, laying out a grand path of elm trees through the marshland. This gravel alleyway gradually drew the attention of the city elite, who moved their townhouses toward the western edge of Paris. By the time the nineteen hundreds arrived, the avenue had transformed into the primary stage for French national celebrations and military processions.