July 14th is what is called "Bastille Day" in English speaking countries. The French wouldn't even dream of calling it this way - here it is la Fête nationale or le quatorze juillet. In Germany we just call it "französischer Nationalfeiertag" which comes close to the French original.
On July 14, 1789 the people of Paris stormed the Bastille, a fortress-prison that not only held a huge cache of ammunition and gunpowder but also political prisoners whose writings were regarded unfavorable by the royal government. Thus the Bastille was a symbol of the absolutism of the monarchy (there were only seven inmates at the time of the attack). This attack became a turning point in the French Revolution which profoundly altered the course of modern history, replacing absolute monarchies with republics and liberal democracies. The French Revolution is regarded as one of the most important events in human history.
(The photos of this post are featuring the fountain in front of the Comédie Française in Paris)
This is my third post for Tamara's Paris in July blog event over on Thyme for Tea
