Tourism

Introduction Museums, historical monuments and registered sites Chinese visitors in France Paris is not as expensive as you might think Tourists are searching Paris for the "DaVinci Code"

If you have been too busy running your business to read “The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown, you are excused for not knowing what the Rose Line is.

The novel is a search for the Holy Grail set in Paris, that makes much use of church symbols. One of the key clues is the Rose Line - the original Meridian Line to determine longitude that cuts right through Paris, indeed right through St Sulpice and the Louvre.

It is in fact the world’s oldest zero longitude line but is now 2°20’14” East of the new zero line set in Greenwich in 1884. The Rose Line, was started in 1669 at the National Observatory in Paris and stretches 1,200Km from Dunkerque to Perpignan.

The Line is still traced by ’Arago’ markers. These are small bronze disks set into the pavements of Paris following the Meridian Line, inscribed with the name of one of France’s greatest astronomers, Arago. There are only about 100 left but they are fast proving essential for tourists seeking  new treasure hunts.