Les Halles

Since the controversial demolition of the old Halles (Market Halls) and the transfer of the markets to Rungis in the late 1960s, the Halles quarter in Paris has been completely remodelled. It is now an extensive pedestrian area, crowded throughout the day, mainly by young people.

From medieval times onwards the markets were the focal point of the Rive Droite.

Picture - Les Halles with carousel in Paris.

Picture - Contemporary architecture in Les Halles.

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Les Halles Map

Important Information:

Transit: Metro: Les Halles; RER: Chatelet-Les Halles; Bus: 21, 29, 38, 47, 67, 74, 85.

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The first covered market halls were built in 1183, in the reign of Philippe Auguste, and seven centuries later, under Napoleon III, Victor Baltard (1805-75) constructed the huge functional iron halls which soon became one of the city's landmarks and a popular haunt of revellers after a night on the town. After the demolition of the Halles - the "belly of Paris", as described in Zola's novel "Le Ventre de Paris" - the site lay empty for years, with a huge hole in the ground which became known as the Trou des Halles. Finally the hole was filled with an equally huge architectural ensemble, designed by Claude Vasoni and Georges Pencreach, and developed into one of the largest underground traffic hubs in Paris: two ; RER lines intersect a Métro line here, and there is a connection to the Châtelet station, the junction of four Métro lines. Above the ; RER and Métro tunnels and underground parking lots but still below ground level is the huge funnel-shaped complex of the Forum des Halles, opened in 1979.

Related Attractions

Les Halles Fontaine des Innocents

After the redevelopment of the Halles quarter the Fontaine des Innocents (1549) was returned to its original position in the Square des Innocents, between Rue Saint Denis and Rue Berger. This was the site until 1782 of the church and churchyard of the Innocents. The architect of the fountain, which was remodelled in the form of a temple in the 18th C, was Pierre Lescot, who was also responsible for the Lescot front in the Cour Carrée of the Louvre. The reliefs on the three older sides of the fountain, the originals of which are now in the Louvre, were the work of the great French Renaissance sculptor Jean Goujon. On the fourth side are figures of nymphs by Augustin Pajou (1788).

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Musee Grévin

The popular Musée Grévin in Les Halles has wax figures depicting the Paris of the belle époque, with a son et lumière show, "Promenade 1900".

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Les Halles Vidéothèque

The Vidéothèque de Paris, opened in 1988, houses within its area of 4,000sq.m/43,000sq.ft the most modern audiovisual archives in the country, with a great range of cinema and television films; the collection is expected to reach a total of 20,000 cassettes within the foreseeable future. Thanks to the Magnus computer system (named after Gaston Leroux's legendary three-armed character) visitors have access to 50 television screens on which they can select the films they want to see. There are also three rooms in which films can be shown to audiences of up to 300 people.

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Centre Océanique Cousteau

Under Les Halles in Paris, the Nouveau Forum, opened in 1986, a look round the boutiques can be combined with a visit to the Centre Océanique Cousteau. Here you can dive down into the world of the sea, with its fauna and flora, and in the course of an afternoon relive the underwater adventures of Jacques Cousteau, the "father of marine research."

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Les Halles Musée de l'Holographie

On Level 1 at Les Halles is the Museum of Holography, an introduction to the colorful world of three- dimensional photography, in which reality and vision seem to merge, with displays illustrating the processes of storing and reproducing holographic images. Among the figures represented in fully rounded reality are Mickey Mouse, Captain Kirk of Starship "Enterprise" and sketches by Leonardo da Vinci.

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Jardin des Halles

Two pyramid-shaped glass houses containing a variety of tropical plants accompanies the carefullty crafted lime alleys, fountains and children's play area found in this civic garden.

Pavillon des Arts

Here, on four glassed-in levels surrounding a courtyard, are a great range of shops, cinemas, theaters, restaurants and cafes, with the Pavillon des Arts (exhibitions). The marble figure of Pygmalion is by the Argentinian sculptor Julio Silva.

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