The iconic Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris opens its massive oak doors today showing off its fresh-faced look after a huge rebuild project (that took almost 5 years to finish)
In spring 2019‚ the world watched as flames engulfed the medieval masterpiece - its spire crashed down and the roof melted away. The 860-year old building almost didnt make it through that night.
The planet was shaken on that day
The restored building shines with new-found glory: its white stones gleam bright its gargoyles watch over Paris again and theres a brand-new spire pointing to the sky. Many skilled workers - stone-carvers wood-workers and glass-makers used old-school methods to fix everything up
- Free same-day tickets through website
- Special evening visit tomorrow
- Group tours start next year
- New mobile app for self-guided tours
Macron will host quite a crowd at tonights indoor ceremony (moved inside due to strong winds): Donald Trump‚ Prince William and Volodymyr Zelenskiy are among the big-names showing up. The whole thing kicks off at 7pm local time
The fix-up got lots of help from everywhere - about 840 million euros came in from donors worldwide. Now the church thinks itll see around 15 million people come through each year to check out this super-old piece of French history‚ that first started going up back in 1163
The building isnt just some old church - its a real symbol of Paris thats been part of many stories; like that famous book about the hunchback that got turned into movies n stuff. Its one of those places that makes people feel connected to history in our fast-moving world