Which city was transformed by Baron Haussmann?

If you have visited Paris you probably have a mental image of tree-lined avenues, streets and boulevards arranged in subtle geometric patterns. This was the conception of Georges-Eugène Haussmann (27 March 1809 – 11 January 1891) who gave Paris the layout that is so familiar to residents and visitors today. Haussmann was a French official who was chosen by Emperor Napoleon III to carry out a massive urban renewal programme in the French capital.

The huge project began in 1853. It saw the demolition of mediæval neighbourhoods that officials deemed to be overcrowded and unhealthy. The construction work involved new broad avenues and boulevards. new parks and squares, new sewers, fountains and aqueducts. The suburbs surrounding Paris were annexed.

Unsurprisingly, Haussmann's activities were met with fierce opposition, and he was finally dismissed by Napoleon III in 1870; but the work on his projects continued until 1927.

Haussmann's name lives on in the 2.5-kilometre Boulevard Haussmann, which runs from the 8th to the 9th arrondissement in the heart of Paris.