Watching Paris Grow, Brick by Brick

A stunning animated model shows how Paris evolved from a tiny riverside settlement in 300 BCE into the city we know today.

Over two millennia, the city spreads outward like a slow-blooming organism, absorbing new neighborhoods, reshaping its streets, and rebuilding itself again and again.

Made in Blender by Christian Ivan, the visualization lets you actually see history take shape.

You watch Lutetia form around the Seine, medieval walls tighten around the core, and Haussmann’s sweeping boulevards carve their now-iconic geometry through the old city.

What feels most striking is how layered Paris becomes. Every era leaves its mark, yet nothing stands still. Fortifications dissolve into avenues, islands turn into power centers, and edges become the new middle.

In just a few minutes, the animation makes a simple truth clear. Cities are not finished objects. They are living records of how people imagine, build, and rebuild their world.

3D Evolution of Paris from 300 BCE to 2025.