France officially reopens Notre Dame’s cathedral towers 6 years after devastating fire
LONDON — French President Emanuel Macron has climbed the steps to the belfry of Notre Dame to officially reopen the north and south towers of the cathedral nearly six and half years after a fire destroyed the building in 2019.
The Towers of Notre Dame are set to officially open to the public on Saturday.
Notre Dame was officially reopened at the end of last year when world leaders convened on Dec. 7, 2024, to attend the ceremonial reopening of the Paris cathedral in France five years after flames engulfed the historic site.
The ceremony was attended by 1,500 dignitaries, including first lady Jill Biden, then President-elect Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Prince William, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
France’s President Emmanuel Macron visits Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral during the inauguration ceremony of the new tour route of the Cathedral Towers Gothic structures destroyed following the April 2019 fire, as part of the 42nd edition of the European Heritage Days in Paris, on September 19, 2025.
Ludovic Marin/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
The cathedral, a landmark of Gothic architecture in the heart of France’s capital, was built around 1260 AD and stood for 850 years, seeing more visitors than the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre. Notre Dame attracted more than 13 million global tourists yearly prior to the fire.
The rebuilding took 1,200 oak trees felled from forests across France to replace the framework of the roof and 1,000 construction workers.