Nothing remains of the infamous Bastille prison destroyed at the beginning of the French Revolution, and until the late '80s there was little more to see here than a huge traffic circle and the Colonne de Juillet (July Column), a memorial to the victims of the uprisings in 1830 and 1848. When Opéra de la Bastille came along in 1989, the surrounding streets were reenergized with art galleries, funky clubs, and Spanish-style tapas bars, especially along rue de Lappe -- once a haunt of Edith Piaf -- and rue de la Roquette.

The ominous Château de la Bastille was protected by eight immense towers and a wide moat. (Its ground plan is marked by hard-to-find paving stones set into the modern square.) Built by Charles V in the late 14th century, it was a fortress intended to guard the city's eastern entrance. By Louis XIII's reign (1610-43), it was used almost exclusively to house political prisoners. Voltaire, the Marquis de Sade, and the mysterious Man in the Iron Mask were among many incarcerated here. The Bastille's political symbolism and its location between the city center and an impoverished working-class neighborhood made it an obvious target for the largely unarmed mob that broke into the prison on July 14, 1789. They killed the governor, stole firearms, and freed the seven remaining prisoners.

Later that year, the prison was knocked down. Original stones from the building were carved into facsimiles of the Bastille and sent to each provinces as a memento of royal oppression. The key to the prison was given to George Washington by Lafayette, and has remained at Mount Vernon ever since. Of course, July 14 -- Bastille Day -- is now the national holiday of France. If you're in town for this, don't miss the gut-rattling sight of high-tech tanks speeding down the Champs-Elysées.