Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
oldest parts of the city, encompassing half of the Île-de-la-
Cité; this was also the first part of the Right Bank that was
inhabited—around the present rues des Blancs-Manteaux
and Vieille-du-Temple—more than 1,000 years ago. Although
not all parts of the Marais conform to the trendy image the
name now evokes, this is certainly one of the most chic
parts of town.
The Marais became popular with royalty and aristocrats
about 400 years ago. Henri IV built the Place des Vosges,
the first royal square, which has been authentically restored
to look much as it did in 1612: a square of almost identical,
warm brick-and-stone townhouses with steep, pitched roofs,
surrounding an exquisitely sculptured, symmetrical garden.
From the 16th century, the southern part of the Marais
had seen the building of
hôtels particuliers
for nobles and
aristocrats, but in the 18th century, the area was abandoned
when the court moved west toward Versailles. Sadly, with the
vicissitudes of time and politics, the Marais declined.
How it has changed! Now one of the city's most colourful
districts, the Marais benefitted from the 1962 Loi Malraux,
which mandated the preservation of historic districts.
Decrepit medieval streets and once-stately
hôtels particuliers
were refurbished without succumbing to the faceless
modernisation suffered by other parts of the city at the time.
Now this area is an unexpected delight of ever narrow, angled
streets, low-rise buildings,and just one
métro
station, Saint-
Paul. Art galleries, fashion shops, nightspots and restaurants
enliven this good-natured district that is more and more in
demand every day.
Although a Jewish community lived here until its expulsion
from France in 1394, it is only since the last century that
the influx of Eastern European Jews has given the quarter
much of its character. Clustered around the 13th-century
rue des Rosiers and rue des Ecouffes are kosher restaurants,
bakeries, delicatessens and groceries. That they draw crowds
on Sunday, when the rest of the city is closed, has encouraged
neighbouring boutiques and galleries to stay open as well,
making this a lively area every day.
The Marais has also become a major focus of Parisian gay
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