La Défense is a district of high-rise offices, apartment blocks and shopping complexes over part of the communes of Nanterre, Courbevoie and Puteaux (all in the Hauts-de-Seine département), to the west of Paris.

It is named for a statue, La Défense de Paris, commemorating the defence of Paris in the Franco-Prussian War. The name of the area sometimes causes confusion with foreigners, who assume it has something to do with the military.

As part of the project to complete the Axe historique, a large monument—the Grande Arche—was built at the western end of the district.

At the western end is a large transport interchange, built around and over the railway station which predates the modern development. It includes a bus station, the terminus of the T2 tram line, a station on RER line A, and the terminus of Line 1 of the Paris Metro, "La Défense (Grande Arche)." Line 1 also has a station at the eastern end, closer to Paris, called the "Esplanade de La Défense".

External links

• Buildings of La Défense
• Sculptures of La Défense