Le Marais
In the heart of Paris, the Marais offers visitors a series of treasures with the many townhouses which adorn its narrow streets. Despite its outstanding heritage, the Marais is far from being a “museum district”: industrious and commercial, it combines clothing wholesalers, fashionable cafes and trendy boutiques. Also, the gay community has adopted it as their base. Lively, even hyperactive, the Marais offers variety and intensity.
Witness to a golden age
The Marais (marsh) was well-named since, on this land devoted to market gardening, areas of marshland subsisted until the 9th century, the period when they were drained. In the 14th century, King Charles V chose to set up home there, followed by courtesans who built beautiful homes nearby. However, the golden age of the Marais started in 1605, when Henri IV commissioned the construction of Place des Vosges, a jewel of classical architecture. Sumptuous townhouses sprang up – Hôtels de Sully, de Soubise and Rohan – and the Marais became a centre for the arts and letters: the famous Mme de Sévigné lived there for many years.
However, the Marais did not remain untouched by the Revolution and the nobility abandoned the district; traders and artisans replaced them and set up their workshops among the townhouses. The district lost its shine. In the 19th century, it escaped Prefect Haussman’s policy of creating large avenues all over Paris and, today, the Marais forms a dense network of historical streets, which offers a well-preserved heritage.
From Temple to Place des Vosges
To the north, the Rue du Temple displays its colours: bustling and popular, it provides a reminder of the district’s commercial vocation, in the same way as the Halles du Carreau du Temple, converted into a cultural venue [to be verified?]. As you draw closer to Rue Charlot and Rue des Archives, the scenery changes, the streets are quieter and offer many attractive facades, which bear the marks of history, as well as boutiques and art galleries, which announce the start of the prestigious area of the Marais.
Suddenly, at the corner of the “quadrilatère des Archives”, the National Archives and the French History Museum appear, housed in the superb Hotel de Rohan and Hotel de Soubise, an outstanding collection of buildings. Not far from there, the Picasso museum and the Carnavalet museum complete the great wealth of architectural and cultural heritage.
Every Sunday, Rue des Francs-Bourgeois and its fashionable boutiques lead walkers to Place des Vosges. A must for all visitors, the “most beautiful square in Paris” attracts elegant people to the antique shops situated below its arcades and trendy Parisians who enjoy relaxing on the square’s lawns.
From Rue des Rosiers to the Seine
Although it is touristy, the Marais is also a centre of life… often a hive of activity. The Jewish district is centred around Rue des Rosiers, a base for the many waves of immigrants who survived the raids of the Second World War. Although it is very much a historical site, the Marais is home to the Museum of Judaic Art and History, it is also a very modern site which vibrates to the rhythms of Ashkenazi restaurants and the aroma of falafel.
Not far from there, next to Rue Ste-Croix-de-la-Bretonnerie, another community sets the tone. Rainbow flags, neon-lit bars and trendy cafes: welcome to the capital’s gay stronghold. On summer evenings, the terraces are packed and the atmosphere is festive.
Southwards again to the calm of Faubourg Saint-Antoine. Saint-Paul village offers many winding, pedestrianised streets and antique shops, and the Maison Européenne de la Photographie opens out on to a tiny Zen garden. Behind Saint-Gervais Church, astonishingly well-preserved medieval streets criss-cross each other as they head down towards the Seine.