Paris - Bastille Quarter

The building of the new Opera was the first stage in the transformation of the area round Place de la Bastille. Like the Marais some years ago, the Bastille quarter (the Bastoche) is being steadily upgraded into a quartier branché, a smart and sought-after part of the city. In Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Antoine and the adjoining streets, whose narrow houses with their labyrinth of little courtyards and passages were formerly occupied by carpenters and furniture-makers, the old craftsmen's workshops are increasingly being converted into studios, designer boutiques, "in" bars and galleries. Since the mid 80s such well-known gallery proprietors as Leif Stähle, President of the Swedish Art Fair, and André Lavignes, who shows work by Andy Warhol and Mimmo Rotella among other contemporary artists, have been established in Rue de Charonne. Close by is the A Jean-Pierre cafe, with a charming Art Nouveau facade. In Rue de la Roquette, opposite the avantgarde Théâtre de la Bastille, is the gallery of the Donguy brothers, showing experimental art and photography. In Rue de Lappe, once occupied by coal-merchants' establishments and bals-musette, are galleries of abstract art, chic cafes and antique dealers. The Balajo, frequented in the 30s by such stars as Arletty and Edith Piaf, is still a fashionable resort. In the cozy inner courtyards of the Cour du Bel Air in Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Antoine (No. 56) a gallery of contemporary photography rubs shoulders with an old-established tapestry works. The Bastille quarter has long been the home of a mixed population of immigrants to Paris. The Auvergnats were followed by the Bretons and later by Italians, Spaniards, Russians, Jews, Arabs and people from the former French colonies. Each population group brought its own culture, which left its mark on the local bars, dance halls and shops. The bustling market in Place d'Aligre, with its 19th century market hall, now protected as a national monument, is very typical of the varied and colorful life of the quartier. This trendy new district of the 90s is a fascinating mixture of the chic and the seamy. Side by side in the narrow streets can be seen designer-styled establishments, quaint old shops and quiet courtyards presided over by a concierge. In the Balajo slow waltzes and tangos are still danced into the small hours, but the unstoppable process of modernization can be seen everywhere at work.