Ile de la Cité

The Ile de la Cité is the historical and geographical center of Paris. Here, on the little island protected by two arms of the Seine, a Celtic tribe, the Parisii, established a settlement in the third century B.C. Here too the Romans built the Gallo-Roman city of Lutetia, and here the inhabitants of the city sought refuge during raids by Germanic tribes, Norsemen and Huns.

Picture - Architecture of Ile de la Cite, Paris.

Picture - Pont Neuf and Ile de la Cite in Paris.

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Ile de la Cite Map

Important Information:

Transit: Metro: Cite; RER: St-Michel-Notre-Dame; Bus: 21, 24, 27, 38, 47, 81, 85, 96.

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It was only in the High Middle Ages that the city was able to establish a durable presence on the two banks of the Seine and a center of power and authority. From the sixth to the 14th century the kings of France resided on the island, on which were the secular palace and its religious counterpart, Notre-Dame, the "Cathedral of France". When the royal residence was transferred elsewhere the aspect of the Ile de la Cité changed, since it was no longer necessary to have spacious streets and squares for the festivities of the court. There now grew up a dense huddle of narrow lanes and closely packed houses in the shadow of the Gothic towers of Notre-Dame. In the 19th century the aspect of the Cité was again radically altered by Baron Haussmann. In a massive campaign of clearance and redevelopment which involved the rehousing of more than 25,000 people space was cleared for the broad avenues running north-south through Paris, the Préfecture de Police, the Tribunal de Commerce, the extension to the Palais de Justice and the rebuilding of the Hôtel Dieu, and an unobstructed view of Notre Dame was opened up on all sides. With only a few exceptions the historic core of the city was transformed, so that the Cité is no longer the "old town" of Paris in the sense in which that term is usually employed.

Related Attractions

Notre-Dame de Paris

One of the most famous Cathedrals in the world, Notre-Dame de Paris was built in the 12th C, but took over 150 years to complete. It considered a masterpiece of Gothic architecture.

Highlights:	West Front, Notre-Dame Rose Windows, Notre-Dame	Crypte Archéologique, Notre Dame

Sainte-Chapelle

Considered one of Paris's finest pieces of Gothic architecture, Sainte-Chapelle is often used to host concerts. It was built in the mid 13th C but restored in the 1800s.

Highlights:	Sainte-Chapelle Haute	Sainte-Chapelle Basse

Ile Saint-Louis

Ile Saint-Louis, long home to aristocracy and writers, is a quaint area of 17th C buildings, with cafes and restaurants.

Highlights:	St Louis-en-l'Ile	Hotel Lambert

Institut de France

Highlight:	Paris Council Chamber

Conciergerie

Now serving as a museum and concert venue, the Conciergerie was originally part of a medieval castle. Visitors can tour the guards room, kitchen, prison cells and dining halls.

Palais de Justice

The Palais de Justice was the seat of French royal authority from 1226 until it became the seat of the Parlement de Paris in the 16th C. The wrought-iron gate dates from 1787 and the interior has neo-classical decor.

Place Dauphine

Southeast of the Square du Vert-Galant, beyond the Pont Neuf, is Place Dauphine, which dates from the time of Henri IV - one of the finest architectural ensembles of that period in Paris. In 1607 the wealthy Président (Chief Justice) Achille de Harlay was given the site by the king with instructions to build a complex of houses with uniform facades. He built 65 terraced houses of light-colored stone and red brick, with two storys over an arcaded ground floor. The square, named after the Dauphin, the future Louis XIII, soon became the resort of actors, quack doctors, strollers and the merely curious. In 1872 the whole of the east side of the square, on Rue de Harlay, was pulled down and replaced by houses in Neo-Classical style. The only houses which survive from the original square are Nos. 14 and 26.

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Rue des Ursins

The little streets to the north of Notre-Dame have retained some flavor of the past. Among them is Rue des Ursins, which was largely spared by Haussmann's transformation of Paris. From the Quai aux Fleurs, where the flower market is held, there is a view of the ivy-clad front of No. 21 (La Colombe restaurant), with a small plate giving the original name of the street, Rue d'Enfer (Hell Street) - so called because of the tunnel-like character of the narrow little street. The adjoining building (No. 19) is all that is left of the Romanesque chapel of Saint-Aignan, which along with Notre-Dame and the Sainte-Chapelle is one of the last three of the 23 churches which once stood on the island.

Mint

The Mint (Monnaie de Paris, Hôtel des Monnaies), built between 1771 and 1777, is one of the few buildings in Paris in early Louis XVI style. Begun at the end of Louis XV's reign to the design of Jacques-Denis Antoine, it is notable in lacking the elaborate decoration of Baroque and Roccoco. The doorway in the 117m/384ft long facade has allegorical representations of Trade and Agriculture.

Since 1973 French coins have been minted at Pessac (Gironde). The workshops on the Quai de Conti, which are open to the public, still mint special silver and gold coins. The Museum illustrates the history of coinage from the Renaissance to the present day.

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Hôtel-Dieu

The barrack-like Hôtel-Dieu in Paris, a hospital, was built in 1868-78 on the site of a seventh century convent whose nuns were dedicated to the care of the sick and the needy. The Hôtel Dieu can thus claim to be one of the oldest hospitals in Europe.

Picture - Windows of the Hotel Dieu in Paris.

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Square du Vert Galant

The little garden at the northwestern tip of the island commemorates Henri IV, who was known as the Vert Galant ("Lusty Gallant"). There is an equestrian statue of the king on the terrace above the garden, a place frequented by lovers and street entertainers.

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Marché aux Fleurs and Marché aux Oiseaux

The flower markets are the most famous markets in Paris. They offer a wide range of flowers. On Sundays the market sells caged birds.

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Mémorial de la Déportation

This monument, at the southeastern tip of the island Ile de la Cité, commemorates those who were deported to German concentration camps during the Second World War.

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