Champs Élysées
Swamps, wasteland and crops. This is what the Champs-Elysées was almost four centuries ago. In 1670, Louis XIV asked Le Nôtre, the gardener who designed the gardens of the Palace of Versailles, to develop this uninhabited area. The King's gardener then traces, in the extension of the Tuileries, a large alley lined with trees and lawns which goes from the future Place de la Concorde to the current roundabout on the Champs-Elysées. The urban history of the avenue began in 1765, when Louis XV authorized the construction of buildings on both sides of the Champs. Five years later, the Marquis de Marigny had the alleyways that became Avenues de Marigny and Matignon traced, as well as the Allee des Veuve, future Avenue Montaigne
Saint-Germain des Prés
The Saint-Germain-des-Prés district is located in the 6th arrondissement around the abbey of the same name. Little by little, a small agglomeration formed around the Abbey which was consecrated around 558 by the bishop of Paris, Germain. The district acquired its unique soul because of attraction it had on intellectuals since the 17th century. The latter would pass through Saint-Germain and leave the imprint of their talents. At the time, Saint-Germain-des-Prés was but a small village. After the Second World War, the district became the place to be for all intellectual and cultural life of Paris with artists such as Marguerite Duras, Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir.
Invalides
Here are two of the most representative symbols of the capital: The Eiffel Tower and the Hôtel des Invalides. These districts were mainly developed in the 19th century on land that was still pristine and perfect for the construction of imposing buildings. To the east of the Invalides sits the National Assembly and many mansions which today house embassies and ministries. To the west, the emblematic Eiffel Tower that dominates Paris. This sector also possesses two large parks: Le Champ-de-Mars and the Esplanade des Invalides.
Marais
As its name suggests, the Marais was originally a marshy area with little hospitality. It was however occupied from the 12th century. Religious communities settled there, followed by Templars. From the 16th century, the neighborhood changed and became more aristocratic, the pleasure residences replacing the fortified walls. Rue des Archives, rue Charlot, rue Vieille du Temple became fashionable and the bourgeoisie took over the district in the 18th century. It was from this time that the Marais then acquired the mansions that we know. Due to its central location, the district is spared by the great works of Baron Haussmann. Over time, it evolves, recent constructions rub shoulders with the most secular.
Palais Royal Musée du Louvre
In the 18th century, with the reign of Louis XIV came the beginning of intense development in the district: the first boulevards were laid out, the old ramparts were replaced by a wide planted promenade. The Opera Garnier being one of the most emblematic works of the Second Empire that transformed the city, an architectural marvel of Napoleon III between baroque and renaissance. The palace and the garden of Palais Royal are bequeathed to Louis XIII on the death pf Cardinal Richelieu and the Royal family stettled there. The bloom of luxury shops, theaters and Belle-Epoque cafes where Zola, Flaubert and Cézanne would go, the Grands Boulevards become the praise of Parisian pleasures. Even today, the Palais Royal district and the Louvre museum remain a major touristic and cultural center.
Quartier Latin
This central neighborhood on the Left Bank is a renowned historical student district notably because of the nearby prestigious Sorbonne University. It is called the Latin Quarter because it is located on what was once the Roman village of Lutetia. In fact, the name of the district come from the medieval period during which the only language used to teaching in all the schools and universities was Latin. The Latin traces are still quite present with several Golla-Roman vestiges such as the arenas of Lutèce and the ancient thermal baths of Cluny.