Current Affairs

Since the April 2019 fire tragedy struck the Notre-Dame Cathedral, we’ve been wondering what it looks like inside now. How extensive has the construction work been? What is even left of the structure and interior? While there have been plenty of reports about the damage wrought by the fire, it is difficult to appreciate the scale of the tragedy without a closer look at the devastation it left behind. The square in front of the famous tourist attraction finally reopened to the public on 31 May, but the building itself still remains off-limits.

The only way to take a look inside the cathedral is to “get on board” a FlyView tour. The provider of virtual reality flights over the French capital since 2018 is now offering tours of the building, showing it as it was both before and after the fire. Visitors to the French capital will be able to avail of the new service when FlyView, which is located on Place de l’Opéra, finally reopens for business on 11 July.

Through a 360° video that dates from before the tragedy, visitors will have the opportunity to admire the splendour of the historic medieval cathedral. The second part of the experience is devoted to Notre-Dame after the fire. The footage was shot by the VR studio Targo in December 2019 using a drone and a remote-controlled rover, which succeeded in reaching the remotest corners of the building, including a vault that was destroyed when one of Notre-Dame’s spires tumbled to the ground in flames.

Here’s a little preview of the tour, courtesy of FlyView.

30 rue du Quatre Septembre- Place de l’Opéra, Paris IIe