Paris burnt by the Communards, 1871

A 'balloon-view' of Paris at the end of May 1871, when the French army forced their way into the city to reclaim it from the Communards. Having entered the city on the 21st May on the west of the city, it took a week of street-fighting (La Semaine sanglante, the bloody week) for the government troops to pacify the city. This view appears to be of the situation on the 24th May, when the Communards torched public buildings to stop the advance. The Palace Royal, the Ministry of Finance and the Hôtel de Ville are shown on fire, and the powder store at the Palais du Luxembourg shown exploding. A quarter of the city was destroyed.