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In-Depth Information
des Gravilliers and rue au Maire. At rue de Nazareth there
is an important Jewish synagogue, as this was the Jewish
community's centre before it moved south toward rue
des Rosiers.
Much of this northern border remains dull, with old
housing in drab streets, although this means that rents are not
high. The rag trade extends here: a cheap clothing market is
always on the verge of being shut down and some factories
employ the immigrants who continue to come. Nonetheless,
gentrification is slowly moving north, up rue Charlot and
around the pretty little Square du Temple. As the ambiance
of the Marais expands and housing becomes scarce, this area
is sure to benefit.
The Latin Quarter and Saint-Germain (5
e
and 6
e
)
Encompassing the 5th
arrondissement
and by extension
some of the 6th, the Quartier Latin is where many romantic
images of Paris come true. This can be one of Paris' most
exciting areas in which to live. Judging from the number of
people—French and foreign alike—who, day and night, stroll
the boulevards, explore the medieval streets, browse in the
bookshops or frequent the cafés or cinemas, this ancient
part of Paris is a most intriguing place to be.
The 5
e
is named for the medieval scholars who were
required to speak to each other in Latin, but the part of the 6
e
that borders on the crowded boulevard Saint-Michel was also
part of the Quartier Latin until Baron Haussmann widened
the ancient Roman road and distanced an integral part of
the quarter to the west.
Famous initially for the Sorbonne, founded in 1253 by
Robert de Sorbon, the Latin Quarter is today an area of diverse
intellectual endeavours. (Even the Sorbonne is just one part of
the seventeen-school University of Paris system, much of which
is spread throughout the city.) This
arrondissement
contains
educational institutions such as the Collège de France founded
in the 16th century, several of the prestigious Grandes Écoles,
the famous lycées Louis-Le-Grand and Henri-IV and the Institut
du Monde Arabe; various institutions; a government ministry;
museums; the impressive Islamic mosque; the Val-de-Grâce
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