This document contains summaries of important people, places, events, and cultural artifacts that represent France's cultural legacy: - Notre Dame Cathedral, a famous landmark in Paris built over centuries and featured in Victor Hugo's novel - Moliere, a renowned playwright whose comedies are still popular worldwide and influenced the French language - King Louis XIV, who led France's golden age of culture in the 17th century with architecture, fashion and the arts - Important scientific and technological achievements like the invention of photography, deciphering hieroglyphs, and the Eiffel Tower - Revolutionary events, artworks, and figures that shaped France's history and identity over the centuries.

1. IF ALL OF THE WORLD’S CULTURAL HERITAGE WAS
CONTAINED IN A TIME CAPSULE, WHAT WOULD YOU
INCLUDE TO DEMONSTRATE THE LEGACY OF YOUR
COUNTRY ?
IE - QUESTION K

2. FRENCHMAN
STARTER PACK
WINE
BAGUETTE
MARINIÈRE
SNAIL
ACCORDION
DIRTY
ROMANTIC
Photos: Robert Doisneau

3. NOTRE-DAME DE PARIS CATHEDRAL
It is one of the most emblematic monuments in Paris.
Its building lasted for over two centuries (from 1163 to
mid 15th cty). It has often been a symbol of French
History and stands in the core Victor Hugo’s novel,
Notre Dame de Paris, published in 1831.
1163-XV

4. MOLIÈRE
The works of Molière is about 30
comedies among which The Miser
that are still great theatre
successes all over the world
because they deal with timeless
subjects.
French is often called “Molière’s
tongue”
Molière’s death was theatrical, he
died on stage after the last
performance of The Imaginary
Invalid in 1673.
1622-1673

5. LOUIS XIV, KING OF ARTS
France is at the height of its culture during the
17th century. Dancing, architecture and fashion at
Louis XIV’s court in Versailles are copied all over
Europe.
XVII

6. ENCYCLOPAEDIA
Diderot supervised the redaction of the Encyclopaedia, one
of the most striking works of The Age of Enlightenment in
France and all over the world.
It gathers all the elements of knowledge in the 18th century
and it opened the way towards freedom to the peoples
opposed to absolute monarchy.
XVIII

7. DECIPHERMENT OF HIEROGLYPHS
Champollion is the first man that managed to decipher the
Egyptian hieroglyphs, thus he allowed everybody to know
about this country’s civilisation and culture. It was in 1821
during Napoleon's campaigns.
1821

8. FIRST PHOTOGRAPHY
Nicéphore Niépce is the inventor of photography. This
picture “View from the window” is the first one ever taken. It
needed several day’s exposure.
1827

9. REVOLUTION
Liberty leading the people by Eugène Delacroix is
a painting inspired by the 1830 revolution after
the 1789 Revolution.
It has often been chosen as the emblem of the
French Republic or of democracy because of the
allegory and its political meaning.
1830

10. RODIN’S THE THINKER
It’s one of the most famous sculpture in the world.
It represents a man thinking and having to face a
dilemma. Its powerful anatomy expresses such an
intense inner concentration that this work is
considered as the universal symbol of human
thought.
1840-1917

11. LOUIS XIV, ROIS DES ARTS
La France atteint son apogée culturel au XVIIe
siècle, époque à laquelle la danse,
l'architecture, la musique et la mode de la
Cour de Louis XIV à Versailles sont admirés et
imités par l'Europe entière.
GUSTAVE EIFFEL
Eiffel is an outstanding engineer, who has revolutionized
the building of metallic works by applying major
technical innovations, which made the building of the
Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty possible.
The latter was built in France and offered to the United
States in 1886.
1886 1889

12. OLYMPICS
The Games were
originally held in the
religious city of
Olympia, in Greece
from the 8th century BC
to 5 cty AD.
It were renewed by
Pierre de Coubertin in
1894 and then has
become the leading
international sporting
events we know today.
1894-2017+

13. 1895
Creators of
the 7th art
The Lumière brothers
have remained in
history as the inventors
of cinematography and
colour photography.
Exiting the factory is
considered as the first
movie in the history of
cinema.

14. SCIENCE FICTION
A trip to the Moon written,
produced and directed by
Georges Méliès will give birth to
a genre that has become
popular: science fiction.
Between fiction and imagination,
the film is inspired by the novel
From the Earth to the Moon by
Jules Verne (1865)
1902

15. LIBERTY
Liberty, poem by Paul Eluard is a
message of struggle and hope in
an occupied France.The text was
translated and broadcast secretly
throughout Europe, on the radio
and by parachuting.
“ [...]
And by the strength of one word
I start over my life
I was born to know you
To name you
Liberty.”
Paul Eluard
Photo of General de Gaulle, calling for the Resistance
during the famous discourse of 18 June 1940.
1939-1945

16. COCO CHANEL
Gabrielle Chasnel, known as "Coco Chanel", revolutionized
women's fashion in the 1920s.
She made the long dresses disappear to make way for the
famous trouser suit. Her will was to value women by her
creations in order to place them on the same level as men,
in society and at work.The Chanel fashion house is today a
symbol of "French elegance".
1883-1971

17. HENRI CARTIER BRESSON
“The eye of the century” was his
nickname. He is a photographer of
legend that marked his time by his
reports about the great events of the
last century, like this photograph of
Gandhi taken just before his
assassination.
1908-2004

18. XX-XXI
PAUL BOCUSE
He is one of the
masters of traditional,
classic and new wave
cooking.
1965: 3 Michelin
macarons
1989: "Cook of the
century" and "Pope of
gastronomy"
2011: "Chef of the
century".
1926-2017+

19. PHILIPPE STARCK
Philippe Starck is today one of the most famous contemporary designers in the world. His
prolific work has progressively touched all the fields where design can be applied: furniture,
home staging, architecture, urban furniture, industry …
Although he has designed Steve Jobs' yacht, Venus, Starck is in favour of a design that is
not meant for an elite exclusively. He designed objects such as the Juicy Salif, a fruit juice
extractor or the Victoria Ghost chair "What’s popular is elegant, what’s rare is vulgar," he
says.
1949-2017+

20. DAFT PUNK
Since 1993 the group has
participated in the creation of
the electronic music movement
named french touch with artists
like David Guetta or Laurent
Garnier in the 90s.
The particularity of Daft Punk is
to always wear helmets and
costumes in public. This photo
is one of the few where we can
see their face.
1993-2017+
PLAY

21. THANK YOU
SEBASTIEN DANGLADES