Notre Dame to reopen with high security, star-studded celebration in Paris
After five years of restoration, Parisian landmark is set to reopen with world leaders attending
The reopening of Notre Dame this coming weekend is going to be a high-security affair, with a repeat of some measures used during the Paris Olympics and the sealing-off to tourists of the cathedral’s island location in the heart of the French capital.
After more than five years of reconstruction following the fire that devastated Notre Dame in 2019, invite-only ceremonies Saturday and Sunday will usher in its rebirth.
Police chief Laurent Nunez said only people with invitations and the island’s residents will have access to the Ile de la Cité in the middle of the River Seine, which includes Notre Dame and habitually hums with tourists.
He said about 50 heads of state and government are expected and that security arrangements are drawing on the police measures that sealed off large sections of central Paris for the Paris Games’ flamboyant opening ceremony.
“A very high level of security will be applied,” Nunez said in an interview published Monday in Le Parisien.
US President-elect Donald Trump said late Monday that he would be attending the reopening celebration. The 2019 fire occurred during Trump’s first term as US president.
