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Centre Beabourg
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Considerable controversy arose over the assertive industrial style of the Pompidou Center, whose bold "exo-skeletal" architecture contrasts violently with surrounding houses in the heart of an old section of Paris near the Hôtel de Ville. The Center has been hugely successful, however, with its many art exhibitions and the National Museum of Modern Art, attracting more than 160 million people since its inauguration. The wear and tear resulting from some 26,000 daily visitors -- five times more than intended -- caused most of the facility to be shut down for renovations, to be re-opened at the end of 1999. Meanwhile, the library, Bibliothèque Publique Information, is housed in temporary quarters for the interim. Part of the building will be kept open for temporary exhibitions, and you can still take the escalators to the top floor for a marvelous view of Paris.

The Beaubourg Plaza in front of the Centre remains a very animated area: its jugglers, mimes and humorists from all over Europe continuously attract a crowd. This Paris tradition, which survives from the Middle Ages, can also be spotted in other areas like Saint-Germain-des-Près and the Place de la Contrescarpe (near the  Panthéon). The Beaubourg area is especially lively at night, offering visitors plenty of bars and restaurants

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