Notre-Dame de Paris

The Notre-Dame Cathedral is considered one of the landmarks of Paris. Together with the Eiffel Tower, it is one of the most popular attractions in all of France, drawing up to 14 million visitors each year. Here, you can learn what happened after the fire in April 2019.

France's capital, Paris, is a true beauty among modern metropolises, not least because of its magnificent Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral. The fact that this proud and beautiful symbol of France faced an uncertain future at times struck not only the hearts of Parisians. On this page, you will get an overview of the consequences of the disastrous fire and find all the important information about the beautiful cathedral.

Notre-Dame at a Glance

Notre-Dame is one of the oldest Gothic churches in France. The construction began in 1163 and continued until 1345. During the nearly 200 years of construction, the style transitioned from Romanesque to Gothic, prompting another redesign of Notre-Dame after the first 80 years of its construction. When the magnificent building was finally completed, the nave measured a total of 128 meters in length, 40 meters in width, and about 33 meters in height. The two characteristic towers of the cathedral, known as the West Towers, reach nearly 70 meters into the Parisian sky.

During the Enlightenment, the church was redesigned and was eventually looted and partially damaged during the French Revolution. Under Napoleon, it was indeed debated whether to demolish the then quite rundown cathedral - hard to believe today, right?

It was only through the success of Victor Hugo's novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (translated literally as Notre-Dame of Paris) that the church regained its status and underwent restoration in the following decades. As part of this restoration, the nearly 93-meter-high crossing tower was created, which unfortunately could not withstand the fire in the spring. Since the restoration in the late 19th century, the cathedral has delighted numerous visitors and is now an inseparable part of the Paris skyline. Since 1905, the cathedral has been state-owned and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. Another restoration was planned for 2019 to 2022, starting in April 2019.

Notre-Dame de Paris is located in the heart of the city on the small Île de la Cité island in the Seine. Due to the fire in spring 2019, the cathedral was initially closed indefinitely. However, you can now visit the cathedral without any issues. If you want to visit this iconic monument during your city trip, it's best to take Metro Line 4 and get off at Cité station.

You can visit the cathedral for free, just like before the fire disaster. Only the climb to the towers of the cathedral costs €10; for EU citizens under 25, it is also free.

In early April 2019, restoration work at Notre-Dame de Paris began. The restoration is expected to cost around 150 million euros and will likely take four years. Work started with the restoration of the roof and crossing tower, as these areas of the cathedral were largely made of (partially over 800 years old) wood. For fire safety reasons, there were no electrical installations on the roof; however, there was a smoke detection system and provisional lighting set up for the workers.

On April 15, 2019, shortly after the workers left the site in the evening, a fire was reported. The source of the fire in the roof spread quickly and threatened to engulf the entire cathedral. About two hours later, the crossing tower collapsed. Over 600 firefighters helped extinguish the fire, managing to limit it to the roof after four hours, and finally extinguished it completely at 6 a.m. the following day. In addition to the crossing tower and clock tower, which did not survive the fire, the roof and the ceiling vault, along with the walls of the nave, were damaged. The church's interior furnishings were preserved but were damaged by dirt and heat. The walls of the cathedral also suffered significant damage from heat and debris.

Millions of people around the world were able to follow the catastrophe live on TV and social media such as Twitter and Facebook. What followed was a wave of empathy and willingness to donate. It is said that several million euros in donations have been collected for the restoration of Notre-Dame.

President Macron planned the reopening for 2024. Although this was initially deemed unrealistic, Notre-Dame indeed celebrated its reopening on December 7, 2024. After five years of extensive restoration work, the cathedral once again shines in its former glory.

On the evening of the fire at Notre-Dame, France's President Emmanuel Macron tweeted:

'We will rebuild the cathedral. All together. This is part of our French destiny. I will make sure of it: Starting tomorrow, there will be a national donation list that goes far beyond our borders.'

The next day, an ambitious and combative announcement followed:

'We are that kind of people - we are fighters. We have a lot to do. And yes, we will rebuild the Notre-Dame Cathedral, even more beautiful than it was before. I wish that our work will be completed in five years - we can do this. We will encourage people.'

Notre-Dame de Paris, one of the most significant landmarks and cultural treasures of the city, was almost entirely lost to a major fire in April 2019. Countless people worked tirelessly, and the cathedral has finally shone again in full splendor since December 2024, remaining a monument full of history, culture, and memory. The heart of the city. But apart from Notre-Dame, France's capital is always worth a visit. After all, there are many other unique attractions in Paris that make the city a truly special experience!

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