The opening of the tower is the achievement of Parisian archaeologist Rémy Rivière, notes the French newspaper. He had been asking Paris City Hall for this for the past 13 years, since the restoration of the tower began. However, access for tourists will only be open until September 15, 2013, after which the tower will be closed again for an indefinite period. How long that will be is not specified.
The Gothic Saint-Jacques Tower was built in 1523. It was the bell tower of the Church of Saint-Jacques-la-Boucherie, which was dismantled stone by stone during the French Revolution in 1797. Since then, the tower has housed a fire station, a weather station, a lead shot factory, and others.
According to The Independent, the tower is widely represented in French culture. In particular, it has been mentioned in the works of Alexandre Dumas and Marcel Proust. It also housed experiments by the French scientist Blaise Pascal.
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