Paris is full of interesting buildings.

Pompidou Cultural Center (Beaubourg Center)

Located in the heart of the 4th arrondissement, the Pompidou Cultural Center is one of the most famous buildings in Paris. The building is named after French President Georges Pompidou, a passionate contemporary art enthusiast. In 1969, he decided to build a multicultural center to showcase impressive French art collections, as well as a café, cinema, and public library where French students could study.

Inaugurated in 1977, the Pompidou Cultural Center has an exterior made of steel and glass, and the entire building is crisscrossed with large, long pipes resembling gas pipelines. Therefore, for Parisians who appreciate elegant and opulent beauty, Pompidou is considered a "mistake of the century," a "hideous monster."

However, with its impressive collection encompassing all cultural fields, along with a cinema, concert hall, and cultural activity space for children, Pompidou has achieved remarkable success despite criticism of its exterior architecture. After 40 years of operation, the Pompidou Cultural Center has become one of the symbols of contemporary art, the largest cultural center in Europe, and one of the most visited landmarks in Paris.

Philharmonie de Paris

Inaugurated in January 2015, the Philharmonie de Paris is a complex comprising a 2,400-seat auditorium dedicated to large-scale concerts, several smaller stages, a music museum, a library, and an entertainment area with a restaurant and bookstore.

Located in La Villette Park in the 19th arrondissement, the theater is an ambitious (built over 8 years with the tireless work of 600 workers) and expensive (386 million euros - approximately 9.8 trillion VND) project.

The building is designed like a sturdy hill, clad in silver steel and glass that changes color depending on the sunlight. The vaulted roof, covered with natural wood, provides crisp acoustics, creating a pleasant atmosphere for both artists and audience. Instead of sitting directly in front of the stage as in traditional models, the audience sits around it. Additionally, suspended balconies surround the center of the stage, allowing sound to spread in all directions, giving the audience a feeling of being "immersed" in the musical space.

Louis Vuitton Arts & Culture Center

Located within the 19th-century Bois de Boulogne park in western Paris, the Louis Vuitton Arts & Culture Center impresses visitors with its organic form, reminiscent of a ship, a fish, a sailboat, or even a cloud, and carrying many metaphorical meanings.

The building was designed by the brilliant architect Frank Ghery, who successfully blended modernity, aesthetic appeal, and personal flair through the use of 3,000 glass panels of varying curvature and size. The sails, supported by countless steel and wooden beams, are connected to the interior structure as if moving in the wind, reflecting the water and greenery of the park, and constantly changing color throughout the day.

La Géode Cinema

Built in 1985, the La Géode cinema is a striking architectural landmark in Paris. The building is shaped like a giant sphere, 36 meters in diameter and as tall as a 12-story building. It is covered with nearly 6,500 triangular stainless steel panels, each 1.2 meters long, reflecting the surrounding scenery.

In addition, this is a cinema equipped with state-of-the-art technology: Omnimax™ projectors and a 4K digital projection system. Each screening room has a 1,000 m² hemispherical screen.²It is made from perforated aluminum panels and has 400 seats that tilt 27 degrees horizontally.

Les Halles neighborhood

Located in the 1st arrondissement, Les Halles was once an old Parisian market. Today, it is a large park with the underground Forum des Halles shopping center and the underground Châtelet Les Halles train station.

After a five-year construction project costing over $1 billion (23 trillion VND), in April 2016, a magnificent 25,000 m² glass dome was completed.²The canopy covering the Forum des Halles shopping center has been completed. This is one of the most surreal architectural works, likened to a giant transparent umbrella suspended in the magnificent Parisian sky.

The building of the French Ministry of Culture and Communication.

Located at the intersection of Saint Honoré and Croix des Petits-Champs streets, the building of the French Ministry of Culture and Communication was modernized by architect Francis Soller in 2004 and is a fascinating example of contemporary architectural art. The building's facade is made of stainless steel panels, giving the appearance of being wrapped in a giant fishing net.

The contrast between this building and the surrounding traditional architecture has sparked much debate. However, many consider it one of the most beautiful buildings in Paris, especially at sunrise or sunset, when the brilliant sunlight illuminates the building, making it sparkle.

Loo's House

Located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, next to Monceau Park, Loo's house is now a Chinese museum. The house was designed for the wealthy Chinese merchant Ching Tsai Loo in the early 20th century. Deeply nostalgic for his homeland and wanting to offer Parisians an opportunity to discover Chinese culture, he decided to transform the place into a private museum, showcasing a collection of Chinese and Asian art and antiques.

Besides its striking exterior with its red color and distinctive Chinese architecture, the building also boasts a luxurious interior with rooms decorated in different themes, making it one of the most interesting buildings in Paris to this day.

Climb

Kieu Mai