Cape Town - French artist Julien Knez's photo project '70 Ans Liberation de Paris', which combined photographs taken during - and after - the Liberation of Paris is giving the world an interesting insight into the history of this cardinal event in the French capital.
The liberation of Paris was held from 19 to 25 August 1944, and to mark the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Paris, Knez decided to immerse himself in a project archiving the before and after of certain places in the liberation which left marks on Paris forever.
Looking at the photographs, one cannot help but wonder what secrets the walls of this old European hub holds.
"It was a pretty moving experience", explains Knez. "A sort of awareness of this historic event... With the photos in hand and a camera on my shoulder, I toured through Paris in search of the places photographed 70 years earlier by anonymous and famous photographers like Robert Doisneau , Henri Cartier-Bresson, Roger-Viollet or Robert Capa."
"I looked for vintage photographs from old books, magazines, and on eBay, and sourced plenty of old documents" before I headed on the journey, he says.
Lyrics of the words of the song "Paris angry" (1966) by M.Mathieu, are printed in French on some of the photographs, to add to the sentiment of the Liberation years.
SEE: 50 then-and-now pictures of Paris and Rome will pull at your heart's strings
Following up the project about Paris' pre- and post-liberation by artist Julien Knez, Italian art student Eugenia Di Pasquale compiled a different version called "Roma Nel Cinema", meaning Roma in the Theaters.
Di Pasquale took shots from various famous Italian films and contrasted them with the places where they were filmed, in modern times.
You can view a full gallery, with all Knez and Di Pasquale's photographs here: 50 then-and-now pictures of Paris and Rome will pull at your heart's strings
Are you inspired by these incredible time-travelling photographs? Why not go on a walking tour of Paris or Rome when you're next in one of these iconic European cities?
Walking tour of Paris
What: A tip-supported service, every day (rain or shine). All tours in are conducted by a Parisian local in English.
Where: Various locations in Paris. MONTMARTRE TOUR - MOULIN ROUGE TO SACRÉ CŒUR; NOTRE DAME AND THE HEART OF PARIS TOUR; PARIS LANDMARKS - RIGHT BANK TOUR; LEFT BANK TOUR - LATIN QUARTER; TRENDY MARAIS TOUR; RIVER TOUR - SAINT-GERMAIN
How much: This is a FREE walking tour, which is supported by customers' tips.
Walking tour of Rome
What: Private walking tours, conducted by a Roman local. The tours can be booked here.
Where: Various locations in Rome. ANCIENT ROME TOUR - THE COLOSSEUM; THE FORUM AND THE 7 HILLS; ROME OF THE ROMANS - PIAZZA NAVONA, FARNESE AND CAMPO DEI FIORI; PANTHEON AND THE FOUNTAINS TOUR - TREVI & THE SPANISH STEPS
How much: Anything from R1 800 to R3 300, depending on your tour and the size of your group
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