What now for Notre Dame?
Five years after the catastrophic fire, what lies ahead for this Paris icon? I asked the mayor of Central Paris and a leading tour guide.
On today’s podcast and video it’s all about the cathedral of Notre Dame. The fire in 2019 made headlines worldwide, as did the opening ceremonies this past weekend. It’s been fascinating to watch the arduous renovation process and it’s almost hard to believe that after so much toiling, the world-famous icon of the Paris skyline is open again to visitors.
We caught up with Ariel Weil, the mayor of central Paris, just before he stepped into the re-opening ceremony. He shared with us what the plans are for Notre Dame in the days, weeks and months ahead.
The podcast episode and video
Listen below, or wherever you get your podcasts.
I asked the mayor: What’s next?
The cathedral of Notre Dame is the most visited site in Paris, which is the most visited city in the world. So, to say it’s a success that it has finally re-opened is an understatement.
It’s important to note that the reconstruction project is not actually fully complete, there’s still much work to do in the coming years.
The next step of the project is the development of the parvis of Notre Dame. Centred around the porch, the plan is to construct a green space with plants and trees, build a connection to the river and create a modern, well-developed centre to accommodate the 15 million visitors who will cross the cathedral’s threshold.
What about for visitors?
I asked Bertrand d’Aleman from My Private Paris for his take on this new era for Notre Dame. He explained that everything is starting again - the building is back to functioning as a church with three masses a day (and five on Sunday) and open to visitors 8am - 10pm.
Not only that, the tourist draw means that Bertrand and his colleagues have been inundated with requests for tours from around the world. But, guided tours inside will only begin again after Pentecost on 9 June. If that is too long to wait for you, here’s a flashback to a visit I did only weeks before the fire in 2019.
What has changed?
There’s no doubt that Notre Dame is looking the best it ever has and that is all down to the expertise of many artisans. Thanks to the thousands of hours spent cleaning and reconstructing, the light of Notre Dame is transformed. The workers have rediscovered the original colour of the stone (blonde, as the French call it), alongside the paint that was applied during the 19th century renovation. The thought of seeing all this with fresh eyes is irresistible.
Last year, we were lucky enough to do a deep-dive behind the scenes of the restoration with some of the artisans. Check out some pictures below.
A flashback to the fire
I was on the streets on that fateful night in April 2019 and captured the sense of shock and sadness amongst Parisians. You can watch the video below.
So what next? Well, please take a listen to today’s podcast conversations with mayor Ariel Weil and Bertrand d’Aleman for the full story.
That’s everything for this week, folks. I hope the anticipation for this new Notre Dame, which has been brimming over here in Paris, has stretched to wherever you are in the world.
This whole season of The Earful Tower is brought to you by the award-winning travel company My Private Paris, which specialises in tours in Paris, day trips outside Paris, and travel itineraries. See what they offer here.
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Have a lovely week
Oliver