The George V Avenue , in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, is part of the Champs Elysées district and the "Golden Triangle" (luxury stores between the Avenue George V, the Champs Elysées and the Avenue Montaigne). There are indeed luxury stores, but also palaces, restaurants, nightclubs and of course the Crazy Horse, a mythical cabaret of international fame. The Chinese and Spanish embassies were also on this avenue but moved elsewhere in Paris. It is 730 meters long and 40 meters wide.
Origin of its name
The name George V Avenue was given on July 14, 1918 in honor of the King of the United Kingdom George V (1865-1936), in recognition of his position during the First World War.
It was previously called "Avenue de l'Alma". At the corner of this avenue and Avenue du Président-Wilson (then part of Avenue du Trocadero), was located, between 1877 and 1893, the Hippodrome des Champs Elysées. The neighborhood has really changed!
King George V of the United Kingdom
George V of the United Kindom was king from May 6th 1910 until his death in 1936. His reign was in a period of change, difficult for a man whose personality was not naturally inclined in that direction. For example, George V was a famous philatelist, and played a large role in the creation of the Royal Philatelic Collection, which became the most comprehensive collection of stamps in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.
Issues that George V was directly involved in:
- World War I. Attentive to the course of the First World War, he was the protector and personal friend of General (later Field Marshal) Haig.
- In 1917, he took the decision to confer purely English titles to members of the royal family with Germanic surnames, because of anti-Germanic feelings in the United Kingdom. The name of the English royal family which was of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha is renamed Windsor.
- In the aftermath of the First World War conflict, he loyally observed the new limits of his powers and did not hesitate, in 1924, to call for the first time a Labour Prime Minister. Indeed, his reign saw the rise of socialism, communism, fascism, Irish republicanism and Indian independence which radically changed the political landscape.
- George V objected to the anti-Catholic wording of the declaration of accession to the throne, which he was obliged to read at his first opening ceremony of the British Parliament. He made it known that he would not open Parliament until the declaration was changed. The Accession Declaration Act of 1910 shortened the declaration by deleting the most controversial passages.
- By the end of 1922, Ireland was effectively divided between the Irish Free State in the south and Northern Ireland.
- He was also concerned about Adolf Hitler coming to power in Germany in 1933. The following year, the king frankly told the German ambassador Leopold von Hoesch that Germany was endangering the world and that there would necessarily be a war in less than ten years; he warned his ambassador in Berlin, Eric Phipps, to beware of the Nazis.
- Relations between George V and his eldest son and heir, Edward, deteriorated in the last years of his reign. The king was disappointed by his refusal to marry and shocked by his many affairs with married women. In contrast, he adored his second son, Albert, and his eldest granddaughter, Elizabeth. He gave her the nickname "Lilibet" and she affectionately called him Grandpa England. This is Queen Elizabeth II. In 1935, George V said of Edward, "after my death, that boy will be ruined in a year" and of Albert and Elizabeth, "I pray to God that my eldest son [Edward] may never have a wife or children, and that nothing may prevent Bertie and Lilibet from taking the throne.
During the procession bringing George V's body into Westminster Hall, part of the Imperial Crown of India fell from the top of the coffin and landed in the gutter as the procession turned into New Palace Yard. The future king, who would become Edward VIII, saw the incident and wondered if it was a bad omen for his reign. Ironically, he abdicated in December of the same year 1936 because of his love affairs, and his brother Albert of York was crowned as George VI and then his daughter as Elisabethe II.
Remarkable buildings and places of memory of the Avenue George V
On the Avenue George V and from the Seine, you will cross the following prestigious addresses:
- on the 3rd floor, in the Hôtel de Caraman, the Givenchy boutique (Tel: 01 44 31 51 09)
- on the 4th, Rizzo Willy, men's clothing
- at 8, Gas Bijoux, jewelry store
- at 8, BY MARIE - George V, women's clothing
- 9, Hôtel de Ganay. Built in 1896-1898. His salon was one of the most select in Paris and was noted for the fact that one met there, among other personalities, all the aristocracy of sport. Mr. de Ganay owned a racing stable. Today it is the headquarters of the Permanent Assembly of the Chambers of Agriculture. Remarkable interior decoration.
- at 10, Grand Cour
- at 10 Av. George V - バレンシアガ - Clothing store
- at 10, Balenciaga - Women's Boutique (Tel 01 47 20 21 11) - Headquarters from 1937 to 1968.
- at 11, Hôtel de Rouvre, Chinese Embassy until 2017.
- at 12, the Crazy Horse (Tel 01 47 23 32 32) world famous cabaret - see Cabaret Article "Crazy Horse
- at 15, Hôtel de Wagram, after many ups and downs, now the Chancellery of the Spanish Embassy
- No 19: was the headquarters of the French Grand Touring car brand Facel Vega from 1954 to 1964.
- N°20: George V Boutique - Women's clothing store - tel 01 47 20 82 75
- No. 20: Boutique Pape - Clothing store - tel 01 47 23 36 46
- No. 23: Holy Trinity American Episcopal Church (American Cathedral of Paris). Built in 1881-1884 by the British architect George Edmund Street in the neo-Gothic style. The bell tower was built in 1907.
- N° 24: Connect Paris - Concept Store - Gift store - tel 01 45 63 30 66
- At 31, the 5* George V Hotel (Tel 01 49 52 70 00) - Created in 1928 by André Terrail, restaurateur and owner of the restaurant La Tour d'Argent. Four Seasons Hotel George V is today part of the Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts chain of the Kingdom Holding Company (investment company of Prince Al-Walid ben Talal ben Abdelaziz Al which is 45% owned by Saudi Arabia's Saud, 45% by Bill Gates and 10% by founder Isador Sharp). Since September 13, 2011, Four Seasons Hotel George V has joined the eight other Palaces in France (Ranked above 5*).
- N° 31: ELIE SAAB - Women's clothing store - tel 01 42 56 69 00
- N°31: Corso Mille - Men's clothing store
- at 33, 5* Prince de Galles hotel (Tel 01 53 23 77 77). This hotel opened its doors on May 16, 2013 after 2 years of renovation. Built on the site of the former Chaillot quarries, which were also used for the construction of the Arc de Triomphe and inaugurated in 1928. Many personalities have stayed there (Winston Churchill, Marlene Diedrich, Charles Laughton, Dalida, Elvis Presley who did his military service in Germany and spent weekends in Paris
- N° 34: Stefano Ricci - Clothing store - tel 01 56 64 08 20
- N° 35: ICICLE George V - Clothing store - tel 07 86 12 12 10
- No 36: in this building resided in 1900 a [...] prince [...] of the royal house of Serbia, Alexis Karageorgévitch. He married Miss Abigail Pankhurst, from Cleveland, Ohio - who changed her rather too Jewish name to Daria Karageorevich.
- N° 36: Santoni - Shoe store - tel 01 42 89 41 17
- N° 39: Zegna Boutique - Men's clothing store - tel 01 44 51 19 91
- at 40, BVLGARI - Jewelry store (Tel 01 49 52 99 99 )
- at 41, Giorgio Armani - Fashion store - tel 01 56 89 06 50
- at 42, Hermès (Tel 01 47 20 48 51) - Leather goods store - tel 01 47 20 48 51
- at 43, the hotel of Countess Abraham de Camondo, widow of Count Abraham Behor de Camondo (1829-1889), banker, of the Camondo family, originally from Constantinople.
- N° 44: PHILIPP PLEIN PARIS - Clothing store - tel 01 42 99 63 98
- N° 44: Espace V - Clothing store for men
- No 45: The Kooples - Clothing store - tel 01 47 20 21 87
- No 46: Fouquet's Barrière 5* hotel (Tel 01 40 69 60 00); Nicolas Sarkozy celebrated his victory in the 2007 presidential elections at the hotel restaurant, which earned him the animosity of uninvited journalists.
- N° 46: Anne Fontaine - Women's clothing store - tel 01 47 20 00 50
- N° 46: Legacy Store - Store - Tel 06 70 31 32 27
- N° 49 - 51: KENZO Paris George V - Clothing store - tel 01 47 23 33 49
Continue on avenue Georges V to reach the avenue des Champs Elysées a few meters away. On the left you will find the Arc de Triomphe at 100 meters. Go in this direction.
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