we'll be looking at the historical significance of this building since then. victor goes famous book the hunchback of notre dame influenced its restoration in the nineteenth century and more recently the movies and a musical made of that story and how of course it has brought millions of tourists to visit this parish every year also we'll talk about the hopes for its restoration . for all this on joined by my colleague david levitz who's been following the story and the deed you visited. many times well as have you robin and if like like you were and frankly hundreds of millions of people who probably have visited it today there's this this very mixed feeling on the one hand the sense of devastation at what has been lost but on the other hand an almost euphoric relief at how much of you know it's what was saved from the fire the iconic bell towers survives the

fire for instance although. the cathedral central spire which was actually in one thousand century ad on did not sadly many of the vaults in the cathedral ceiling were destroyed but not all of them thankfully and the three rows windows made out of this amazing stained glass from the thirteenth century have also been saved as has the cross at the center of the building along with many priceless relics including the crown of thorns that catholics believe to have been worn by jesus himself. of course now we're still all over the a bit shell shocked but this entire building which seems to us so eternal turned out to be actually pretty fragile now we all know vic to goes famous book the hunchback of notre dame actually this fictional book had a huge impact on the real cathedral the way it's not just about its reputation of course every child all my. on the planet knows kweisi moto. this fictional

hunchback bellringer that hugo created but victor hugo what many people don't know is that he actually played a part in the cathedrals survival to this day when he came out with his novel the hunchback of notre dame in eighteen thirty one this was a rallying cry to save the cathedral the cathedral at the time was in horrible shape it had been desecrated in the french revolution and it had lost its popularity and victor hugo feared that it would actually be torn down he wrote about in the book he said this cathedral may not exist for much longer what his book did though is it recreated the cathedral popularity the french fell in love with not saddam once again and soon thereafter the king had it renovated he had that spire which is now lost to us added on so in some sense this cathedral really owes its life to victor hugo well as david said

a minute book has changed the destiny of this golfing masterpiece and we have a lot to thank the fictional back not to die which has been a popular topic for filmmakers since the very early days of the media. and iconic early adaptation is a nine hundred twenty three silent production featuring lavish sets recreating not and a legendary performance by long cheney as causing mojo the film transformed cheney from a character actor to a full blown hollywood star and it set the standard for many later horror films. with the advent of sound recording victor hugo's tale was right for a filmmaker retelling big budget nine hundred thirty nine film starring charles laughton as quasi modo and maureen o'hara as his beloved esmeralda's with production taking place on the eve of the second world war the story was adapted to reflect the times with the treatment of gypsies in paris and on these. well to nazi

germany's persecution of jews. nine hundred fifty six saw the release of the first ever color film adaptation of the story with anthony quinn and gina lollobrigida in the main roles and shot partially on location at the real no tom. in this version cause he models disfigurements are played down and quinn's portrayal gives the character unless her if appearance. it was inevitable that the hunchback of notre dame should get the disney treatment and in one thousand nine hundred six that studio released its animated musical drama which changed the original tragic ending to a happy one that outraged some fans of the original book but it didn't stop it from being a box office hit. piece. the following year saw yet another live action adaptation this time a made for t.v.

movie starring mandy patinkin as kasi moto and some high acas as. each version puts its own spin on the plot but a common thread is always a message of tolerance acceptance and lots. of. david. of course the wife of the billionaire phones on only know who as i think the phone to sort of come forward with a. donation for the rest in the restoration that's what we've actually seen sort of a bidding war between these french billionaires who is going to promise more to rebuild no to dumb and he is one of them that includes pino whose family owns the caring group here he is with his wife karen group owns brands like gucci and eve sun know hong huge art collectors as well they pledged one hundred million euro as well just a few minutes after that there are two rivals the other no family that owns do

a veto and the champagne company moet and chandon also huge are collectors they pledged two hundred million euros and of course not to be outdone the bets on cool family and their company though they are cosmetics they also pledge two hundred million euros so if the french novelist vito go with his quasi modo saves not to put on the nineteenth century in this century it is really make up and perfume and fashion dynasty is the complete opposite of causing the ok let's let's return to the first savior of the cathedral because about a we've seen the popularity of the movies but the story is also being turned into a disney musical which had its european premiere here in berlin in one thousand nine hundred nine and meanwhile has become the longest ever running musical hit first of all though a look at a ballet about the hunchback from a nine hundred ninety six production the parasol.

david it is extraordinary how all those books has played such an important role in the popularity of the cathedral i mean we live in times when church congregations declining worldwide but not. has over a million visitors a month over

a million visitors a month i mean it is an architectural treasure this isn't just a house of worship it is a tourist magnet this is the most visited site in paris more than the eiffel tower paris of course being one of the most visited cities in the world as well moles in the eiffel tower and also it's quite clear from what we've seen on the television french people it means so much to the french psyche doesn't it that's right well it's no other building stands for french culture. and french history as much as not saddam does this is considered the very foundations of french civilization that we saw under threat in that fire it is at the center of paris actually this is considered point zero that this is where all the road distances in france are calculated from the dro it's on this island in the sense. sure the city that you did as you take considered the birthplace of french civilization it's no

coincidence that that is where the monarchy decided to place the draw in the twelfth century when it was construction was started to solidify paris as the unquestionable capital of france ok david thanks for a. is the epicenter of the french as david said all distances within from stem from there let's just look back at some of the historic significance in its nearly nine hundred year history. first century snow touchdown cathedral has been the site of significant events in fifteen fifty eight a lavish wedding ceremony was performed here when fifteen year old mary queen of scots married the heir to the french throne francis the second. bonaparte also use not to done for an ostentatious ceremony here he crowned himself

emperor of france in eighteen zero for taking the crown from the pope's hands and placing it on his own head. the cathedral has withstood revolutions and wars its grand bell rang out the end of the second world war. not to the don has also played host to important memorials over the decades in one nine hundred seventy requiem mass was held here for the late general. service was broadcast to some five hundred million households worldwide four years later heads of state and royal representatives gathered to mourn former president george pompidou. and in one thousand nine hundred six some sixty heads of state and government attended the funeral mass for late french president francois mitterrand . paying tribute to his friend and colleague german chancellor helmut kohl was. moved to tears. in twenty thirteen no to dumb itself was the focus of attention

when paris celebrated the eight hundred fiftieth anniversary of its landmark. for the occasion the cathedral was fitted with nine new balance during the french revolution nearly all the previous bells had been melted down and the church ransacked. in recent years the bells of noto dom have rung out in memory of victims of terrorism after the paris attacks of november twenty fifteen mourners waited in long lines to honor those killed. after the attack in nice in twenty sixteen not to dominate paris again became a place of mourning. this david briefly what's the next step well on wednesday afternoon the bells of notre dame will ring out for the first time since this tragedy and we also can't forget this sunday is easter sunday a celebration of redemption of rebirth and certainly many christians around the

world will see the saving of nurtured as an easter miracle i'm sure david as always thank you for your excellent knowledge that soulful today much more of course on our website at www dot com slash culture and off facebook page today. no doubt we'll be following the fate of this magnificent cathedral which will be restored about i have no doubt we both have no doubt thanks for watching and.

kicked off. can china could still avoid relegation to draw in nor a broadcast band fearing the worst. can not pass to qualify for the champions league. final but. the fight for the title continues. to. kick off in thirty minutes spawn d.w. . small can inspire big changes. people making it possible to go in africa. fantastic right. as they set out to safe environments. to learn from one another. and work together for

a church. be a south. africa w. to the new zero maxima to channel. coast good line of stewards. with exclusive. the must see concerning startup culture to ensure a. place to be for curious minds. do it yourself networkers. subscribers and don't miss out.

five year. sets an ambitious deadline for rebuilding the cathedral. just twenty four hours after. his iconic role. is to quickly restore the structure to its former glory investigators are now trying to find out just what sparked the blaze that ravaged and left a nation in mourning also coming up tonight here in germany.