1st arrondissement of Paris

The 1st arrondissement of Paris is the least populated and the one of the smallest in area at only 1,83 km2 (0.705 square miles or 451 acres). A significant part of which is occupied by The Louvre and The Tuileries Garden, much of the rest of the district is dedicated to business and administration.

It had it's peak in population in the period preceding the reorganization of Paris in 1860. As of 2005 there were roughly 17,000 inhabitants however there are over 63,000 jobs making it one of the most active for business after the 2nd, 8th and 9th arrondissements.

4 QUARTIERS

Quartier Saint-Germain-L'Auxerrois pop. 1670
Quartier Les Halles pop. 9980
Quartier Palais-Royal pop. 3190
Quartier Place Vendôme pop. 3040

EDUCATION

2 nursery schools (école maternelle)
2 primary schools (école élémentaire)
1 école polyvalente
1 high school or collège
1 sixth form of collège, lycée

PLACES OF INTEREST

Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel
Banque de France Headquarters
Comédie-Française
Crédit Foncier de France Historical Headquarters
The Louvre
     Musée de la Mode et du Textile
Tuileries Garden
     Galerie nationale du Jeu de  Paume
Galerie Véro-Dodat
Les Arts Décoratifs
Les Halles
Musée du Barreau de Pais
Musée Grévin-Forum des Halles
Musée des Lunettes et Lorgnettes Pierre Marly
Musée de la Publicité
Palais Royal
Hôtel  Ritz Paris
La Sanaritaine

BRIDGES

Pont Neuf
Pont des Arts

STREETS AND SQUARES

Avenue de l'Opéra (partial)
Rue De Rivoli (partial)
Place Vend ôme & the Vendôm Column

While I may not see all of it my first go round, I do plan to visit the Louvre and the Tuileries garden, you can check my archives for information on those 2 places.

A Demain, Mes Amis...

Les Arrondissements de Paris!

The city of Paris, which is also the capitol of France,  is divided into 20 arrondissements (administrative districts). The last two digits in most Parisian postal codes indicate which arrondissement a place is located in or around, 75001-75002.

The 20 arrondissements are arranged in the form of a clockwise spiral starting in the middle of the city, with the first on the right bank (north bank) of the Seine river. The French cities of Lyon and Marseille are also subdivided in this way.

In French the number is often given in Roman numerals, for example, the Eiffel Tower is located in tehh VII arrondissement.

11 October 1795, Paris was only divided into 12 arrondissements. They were numbered from west to east, with the numbers 1-9 situated on the right bank of the Seine and 10-12 on the left Bank. Each arrondissement was also subdivided into four quartiers, which corresponded to the 48 original districts created in 1790.

1 January 1860 new territory was defined to be with Paris' city limits by Napoleon III. The previous 12 where rearranged with this new territory to become the present 20.

I will attempt to break down each Arrondissement, listing popular spots and things that make that area unique in upcoming blogs, so look out for it, but I will of course still be blogging about some places I hope to see or that represent Paris to me..

A Bientôt, Mes Amis...

Travel Tuesday: The Tuileries Garden or Jardin des Tuileries

The Tuileries Garden or Jardin des Tuileries is located between the Louvre and The Place de la Concorde in the 1st arrondissement of Paris (more about arrondissements later). The garden is a manifestation of a vision of Catherine de Medicis who moved to the Louvre Palace in July 1559 after her husband Henry II died. She moved with her son, the new king François II but decided that she wanted to build a new palace separate from the Louvre with a garden that was modeled after those in her homeland of Florence.

Catherine decided to use an empty area bordered by the Seine on the south, the rue Saint-Honore on the north, the Louvre on the east and the city walls and deep water moat on the west. The area has been occupied since the 13th century by workshops called tuileries which made tiles for the roofs of buildings. In the 16th century some of the land had been acquired by King François I and she acquired more land and began to make her vision a reality.

Catherine  commissioned Bernard de Carnesse a landscape architect from florence to build an Italian Renaissance garden complete with fountains, a labyrinth and a grotto decorated with faience images of plans and animals made by Bernard Palissy. Palissy was ordered by Catherine to discover the secret of Chinese porcelain. 

The garden and Palace changed hands many times  however it became the National Garden or Jardin National of the new French Republic after King Louis XVI was removed from power and executed during the French Revolution. 

In 1870, Emperor Louis Napoleon was defeated and captured by the Germans and Paris was the scene of the Uprising of the Paris Commune. When the army arrived and fought to recapture the city, the Communards deliberately burned dow the Tuileries Palace and attempted to burn the Louvre as well but were unsuccessful. The Palace ruins were not torn down until 1883 and the empty site, which was located between the two pavilions of the Louvre, became a part of the garden. 

Today the garden is a place where Parisians and of course visitors go to celebrate, meet, promenade and relax and I truly look forward to seeing it's beauty...

A Bientôt Mes Amis!