On April 15, 2009, part of Notre-Dame in Paris went up in flames. The images of the flaming inferno caused horror and consternation around the world.
The day after the tragedy, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that he would rebuild the partially destroyed church within five years. Since then, hundreds of craftsmen and workers have been busy repairing it - so that the building will soon be completely restored. Just in time for the opening of the Olympic Games on July 26th, Notre Dame will almost completely shine with its new external appearance. The cathedral will have completely regained its external appearance by the time of the games, it was said from the Élysée Palace. For the first time, the opening ceremony will not take place in a stadium, but in the middle of the city on the Seine. The six-kilometer-long boat parade passes landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and Notre-dame. At the last Olympic Games in Paris in 1924, a religious opening ceremony was held in the cathedral.