Although it was a rather brief architectural - and artistic - current (from around 1890 to 1910), Art Nouveau produced exceptional buildings of imagination and creativity, of which we find superb examples in Paris. First, the Castel Béranger, in the 16th arrondissement, reputed to be the founding building of the Art Nouveau movement, as well as the Lavirotte building,
The covered passages are a Parisian invention. They were built between 1820 and 1840 to allow Parisians to be able to shop sheltered from the weather. These galleries with magnificent glass roofs and wrought iron lampposts became the meeting place for the Parisian bourgeoisie. And now, they allow us to plunge back into an era that is unfortunately over.
