Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
Caucasus - Geghard Monastery, Armenia
Armenia • 15 days, 14 nights
Caucasus Road Trip: Azerbaijan, Georgia & Armenia
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Midas Tümülüsü (Tumulus MM)
The Devil's Column
Weightlifting Hall of Fame
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
At Nai Mong Hoi Thod, the oyster omelet is worth waiting for.
Nai Mong Hoi Thod
In this deceptively simple dish, top-quality ingredients are paramount.
Kor Panich
Customize your bowl with sliced pork, pork balls, fish cake, and offal.
Rung Rueang
Pasties are an Upper Michigan tradition dating back to mining days.
Lehto’s Pasties
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
3 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
4 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
5 days ago
Cely’s map is not only accurate, but captures the unique characteristics of Congaree’s trees and waterways.
How One Biologist Drew a Hyper-Accurate, Ranger-Approved Map of Congaree National Park
6 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Illinois Paris 'Embassy Row of the Parisian Diaspora'
'Embassy Row of the Parisian Diaspora' is permanently closed.

This entry remains in the Atlas as a record of its history, but it is no longer accessible to visitors.

AO Edited

'Embassy Row of the Parisian Diaspora'

One of the first historical sites of an alternative universe was installed in the town of Paris, Illinois—which is now home to an annual spelling bee of Kcymaerxthaereal words.

Paris, Illinois

Added By
Rebekah Otto
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The Corridor of Color.  
Amory Frontage portrait.  
Visitors early on.   Courtesy of Kymaerica Blog
Corridor of color.  
A plaque outside that confuses passersby.   Will/CC BY-SA 2.0
One of the rooms of stone.  
Embassy Row.  
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Created by Eames Demetrios, Kcymaerxthaere is a "parallel universe that intersects with much of our linear Earth, but with different stories, creatures, peoples, even laws of physics and qualities of existence."  It has been likened to a novel with every page in a different place. 

Most of these installations are bronze or stone plaques inscribed with stories but some are larger, even entire buildings. As of 2021, there are more than 140 sites spread across six continents and 30 countries.

To this we can add, the Embassy Row historical site tells the story of Amory Frontage, the founder of all the Parises in what we call North America.  "Paris" was a Cognate word meaning good ground and he went from place to place, founding Parises. He would usually stay just a few years and then move to the next one, taking half the population with him. All these communities are known as the Parisian Diaspora.  

Aedguerre, the gwome at this location, was considered the Jewel in the Crown of the Parisian Diaspora until much of it was destroyed in the Certification Riots.

Related Tags

Statues Relics And Reliquaries Lost Tribes Outsider Architecture Kcymaerxthaere Location Markers

Community Contributors

Added By

Rebekah Otto

Edited By

midasblenny, geographeratlarge, Molly McBride Jacobson, jkolka...

  • midasblenny
  • geographeratlarge
  • Molly McBride Jacobson
  • jkolka
  • jase

Published

April 8, 2010

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
'Embassy Row of the Parisian Diaspora'
116 N. Main St
Paris, Illinois, 61944
United States
39.613768, -87.694943
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

'Faerie Traces'

Paris, Illinois

miles away

Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes

West Terre Haute, Indiana

miles away

St. Omer Cemetery Witch Grave

Ashmore, Illinois

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Paris

Paris

Illinois

Places 2

Nearby Places

'Faerie Traces'

Paris, Illinois

miles away

Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes

West Terre Haute, Indiana

miles away

St. Omer Cemetery Witch Grave

Ashmore, Illinois

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Paris

Paris

Illinois

Places 2

Related Stories and Lists

Obsessive Mappers of Imagined Worlds

By Dylan Thuras

Related Places

  • Rapa Nui, Chile

    "El Gigante" and the Moai of Rapa Nui

    The largest stone moai on Rapa Nui.

  • Golden Buddha sits in on a marble pedestal.

    Bangkok, Thailand

    Golden Buddha of Wat Traimit

    This enormous gold Buddha statue was hidden inside a stucco decoy for centuries.

  • The statue of Saint Francis Xavier.

    Malacca, Malaysia

    Francis Xavier Statue

    This statue of the famed saint is missing his right hand, a rare depiction of his posthumous amputation.

  • Star Wars-Inspired Conference Room

    Verona, Wisconsin

    Epic Campus

    Software company Epic Systems has created one of the strangest and largest workplaces of all time.

  • A view of Opus 40 from the eastern edge of the quarry

    Saugerties, New York

    Opus 40

    One man's swirling six-acre monument of stone.

  • Harbin, China

    Harbin Ice and Snow Festival

    One of the world's largest ice festivals dazzles visitors for over a month with radiant sculptures and carvings.

  • La Tete Carrée Library

    Nice, France

    La Tete Carrée Library

    This massive blockhead sculpture hides an entire library.

  • Bomarzo Monster

    Bomarzo, Italy

    The Monsters of Bomarzo

    A 16th-century horror show built in a lovely Italian garden.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.