University of Paris

Long, long ago, in the beautiful city of Paris, France, a very special school started. It was called the University of Paris! It's so old, it was around even before castles were built everywhere. This school was like a big brain for the whole country, helping people learn all sorts of important things. It was so famous that people came from far away just to study there and become super smart!

This school is ancient! It began way back in 1150, which is over 870 years ago! That's older than your great-great-great-great-grandparents! For a very long time, it was one of the most important places for learning in all of Europe. It even had to close for a little while during a big change in France called the French Revolution, but it opened again later.

Lots of very important people went to this school. Imagine learning next to future kings, queens, and brilliant scientists! It was famous for teaching about thinking and religion. They even invented ideas like getting a special 'doctorate' degree, which is a super high level of learning. Some of the old buildings from this school are still standing today, looking like they're from a fairy tale!

Over hundreds of years, the school changed a lot. Sometimes it was one big school, and other times it was split into different parts, like different classrooms for different subjects. In 1970, it became even more split up, turning into 13 different universities! But the spirit of learning and the old buildings still remind us of this incredible place.