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Paris, The City Of Light Video Shows Off France's Capital In All Its Beauty (VIDEO)

WATCH: Stunning Time Lapse Captures 'The City Of Light'

Many people know Paris as the 'City of Light', but it's the time-lapse above suggests, France's capital should be a place known for its beauty and its brains.

Director Benjamin Trancart captures Paris' beauty starting off with a few iconic landmarks like the Louvre and Arc de Triomphe as the orange hues of the sun colour the sky in the background. Trancart, or Trak as he's known on his Vimeo page, then shifts to the insides of Paris' churches, bridges and highways over the next three minutes, spanning both night and day in the city.

But as Trancart notes, Paris didn't earn its reputation as the 'City of Light' through looks alone. It's actually a title that dates back to the 18th century.

"Paris, City of Light doesn't mean "the city with a lot of beautiful lights" but, rather, "the city where, during the eighteenth century, the lights of science (with the biologists like Buffon or Jussieu and with the encyclopaedic writers like Diderot or d'Alembert) and the lights of philosophy (Voltaire, Rousseau, Condorcet, Montesquieu, ...) have been lit," according to the description beneath the video.

It wasn't until later in the century that France's quick adoption of street lighting gave its reputation a whole new meaning. So whether you're in the city as a tourist or a scholar, Paris looks like a bright place to be.

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