France Pavilion
The Pavilion of France is located on Ile Notre-Dame and consists of a powerful structure of concrete and steel, entirely enclosed within walls of glass surrounded by aluminum sun-breaker strips, providing an attractive sculpture effect. The building comprises eight exhibition levels with a total surface of approximately 220,000 sq. ft. its height is approximately 100 feet; the whole being dominated by decorative masts and a steel arrow.
The French presentation develops around the theme of Tradition and Invention, in the french genius at all levels.
At the lower level a circular pool of water may be given a theater setting by means of a mobile stage.
The restaurant, a motion picture hall, conference rooms, an exhibition of transport and tourism are all at the same level.
The salon d'honneur, the press, the exhibition of great works of France in the world, and the City of Paris are all on the ground floor.
At levels 1, 2 and 3: French science and its many applications, color television, electronics, the development of sources of power, physics, astronomy, optical, genetics, biology, etc.
At level 4: Aspects of the life of the French, sites and monuments, human and social problems.
At levels 5 and 6: A large art gallery presenting french art from the middle ages to our day, a display of contemporary artistic creations, an auditorium for music and a museum of "le souvenir franco-canadien".
Receptions will be held on the ground level, and on the roof terraces overlooking the exhibition, and there are interior and outside promenades at all levels.
The City of Paris
The participation of the city of Paris is staged on the ground floor of the pavilion of France, over an area of some 15,000 sqare feet. Simultaneous projections onto several large screens give the visitor the impression - as soon as he enters - that he is strolling through the streets of the french capital. A little further he discovers the Parisian boutiques, with the creations of fashion, jewellery, perfumes presented by means of a most original arrangement of prismatic show-windows.
Next comes the presentation of intellectual Paris, of Paris - the Center of effulgence of thought - with the Sorbonne, one of the oldest universities in the world, the Academy, the Institutes as well as the great scientific and technical colleges where so many thinkers, scolars, statesmen of all nationalities were - and are - moulded in a spirit of freedom.
Lastly, the Exhibition of Paris demonstrates how Paris intends to solve its problem of growth, which is the problem of all of the world's great cities. The town-planning programs will respect the monuments of the past, whilst creating the appropriate infrastructure for the great cities of our era. It is at Montreal that the french builders' daring projects for the construction of the Paris of the year 2000 will be first revealed.
( Document: Official Guide of l'Expo 67, Copyright 1967 by Maclean-Hunter Publishing Co. Ltd. )