Travel back to 1900 Paris! 🇫🇷

Whether you are in the French capital or comfortably at home, travel through time with AR making historical Paris accessible to all.

By Google Arts & Culture

Exposition universelle de 1900, Paris. Panorama des parcs du Trocadéro et du Champ-de-Mars © Neurdein - Roger-Viollet by Neurdein - Roger-ViolletEiffel Tower

In 1900, France was bustling with the excitement of two major events: the World’s Fair and the second edition of the Olympic Games, the first one having been held in Athens 4 years prior.

Vue générale de l'Exposition Universelle de Paris 1889 - Servando by © Collection tour EiffelEiffel Tower

Many of the landmarks that we know and love today have been built for the World’s Fair, also known as the Universal Exhibition or World Expo. The most famous of all certainly is the Eiffel Tower which was built for the 1889 edition, to celebrate the French Revolution.

Stephen Sauvestre and Constant Bernard were amongst the architects who submitted plans to modernize the monument for the 1900 World's Fair. Although their designs were never built, you can discover them in AR on Google Maps.

See Stephen Sauvestre's imagined design come to life in AR in front of you. The 3D model has been created from archival images giving you a unique perspective on what the Parisian landmark could have looked like.

Colossal Hotel

1900 Bernard's Colossal Hotel Design

Show lessRead more

Austria at the Exposition Universelle, Paris 1900 (c. 1899)Dallas Museum of Art

World Expos are prestigious global events where nations showcase their advancements in technology, culture, and industry through individual pavilions. These gatherings, spanning months, promote international collaboration and spark discussions on pressing issues.

In 1900 the country pavilions could be admired along the Seine. Demolished after the event, they have been recreated in 3D in great detail, using archival images from L'École Polytechnique.

Italy's pavillion, From the collection of: École Polytechnique

Turkey's pavillion, From the collection of: École Polytechnique

Show lessRead more

If you are in Paris, to view the Geospatial AR content, simply open Google Maps on your mobile device when you are near the site, tap on the image that says “AR Experience” and lift your phone to see the sites take shape in front of you. You can also easily share it !

Vue générale de l'Exposition universelle de 1900 (1900) by © RMN-Grand Palais (musée d'Orsay) / Hervé Lewandowski and G. GrivellOriginal Source: Site de l'agence photo

Not in Paris ? Open Google Maps on your phone and search :
"Invalides bridge" or "Jardin d'Erevan". Open "AR experience" to see the pavilions come to life on Street view or “Eiffel Tower garden” or “Pont d'Iena" to see the Eiffel tower experience.

Credits: All media

The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.

Stories from these collections

Online Exhibit