The Centre Pompidou is a gigantic, futuristic arts center located in the Beaubourg {boh-boor'} district of Paris. President Georges Pompidou conceived (in 1969) the idea for Beaubourg, as the centre is also known, to bring art and culture to the "man in the street". It was completed in 1978 by the architects Renzo Piano of Italy and Richard Rogers of England, and by the engineering firm of Ove Arup and Partners of England. The structure forms a huge transparent box whose exposed frame of tubular steel columns carries trusses spanning the width of the building. External mechanical systems -- elevators painted red; escalators in clear plastic tunnels; and giant tubes for air (painted blue), water (green), and electricity (yellow) -- all are conspicuously placed on the outside of the main columns.

Considerable controversy arose over the assertive industrial style of the Centre Pompidou, whose bold "exo-skeletal" architecture contrasts violently with surrounding houses in the heart of an old section of Paris. 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 it opened. The wear and tear resulting from some 26,000 daily visitors -- which is five times more than originally intended -- caused most of the facility to be shut down for renovations, to be later re-opened at the end of 1999. Meanwhile, the library, Bibliothèque Publique Information, is currently housed in temporary quarters for the time being. 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. There you will see its jugglers, mimes and humorists from all over Europe continuously attracting crowds. 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, clubs and restaurants.