On Thursday 11 December 2025, six months after opening and one month after closing on 11 January 2026, I travelled to Paris in France for the ‘Le mystère Cléopâtre‘ or ‘The Cleopatra Mystery‘ exhibition at the Institut du monde arabe (Institute of the Arab World). An excuse to visit the Light City, even if it turned out yo be a grey day. I was some six hours in Paris.

I walked everything, because I like to walk and I didn’t feel like figuring out the Métro. Also, you can see things.

From Paris-North or Gare du Nord, I walked to the Institut du monde arabe. That took an hour. But that was taken into account when booking my time slot. That meant walking the Boulevard de Sébastopol, the Sebastopol Boulevard. 

Boulevard de Sébastopol

The Boulevard de Sébastopol is a major thoroughfare in Paris. It forms the boundary between the 1st and 2nd arrondissements on the west and the 3rd and 4th arrondissements on the east.

The boulevard is approximately 1.3 kilometres long. It begins at the Place du Châtelet and runs north to the Boulevard Saint-Denis, where it continues as the Boulevard de Strasbourg. Designed as a principal traffic artery, it has four vehicular lanes, one of which is reserved for buses.

While the boulevard is lined with a number of shops and restaurants, its primary function is as a north–south route through central Paris. It marks the divide between the neighbourhoods of Les Halles and Le Marais. The boulevard is served by the Métro stations Châtelet, Réaumur–Sébastopol, and Strasbourg–Saint-Denis.

The Boulevard de Sébastopol was one of the key roads created during Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann’s transformation of Paris in the 1850s. It was conceived as a major north–south axis linking the centre of the city with the Gare de l’Est.

When it opened in 1854, the road was named Boulevard du Centre. Following the French capture of the port of Sevastopol in September 1855 during the Crimean War, it was renamed Boulevard de Sébastopol. For a number of years, this name was also applied to the road later known, from 1867 onwards, as the Boulevard Saint-Michel on the Left Bank (Rive Gauche) as far as the Rue Cujas.

In 1867, during the Exposition Universelle, Napoleon III chose the Boulevard de Sébastopol as the route for a ceremonial drive through Paris with Tsar Alexander II of Russia. The choice proved disappointing for the Emperor, as crowds lining the boulevard reportedly shouted pro-Polish slogans as the procession passed.

Tour Saint-Jacques

Nearing the Seine, I passed a few landmarks such as a wrapped Centre Pompidou or Les Halles. But also the Tour Saint-Jacques or St. James’ Tower. 

The Tour Saint-Jacques is a historic monument in the 4th arrondissement, on the Right Bank. Rising to a height of 52 metres, this Flamboyant Gothic tower stands at the junction of the Rue de Rivoli and the Rue Nicolas-Flamel. It is the sole surviving element of the former medieval church of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie (Saint James of the Meat Market), which was partly rebuilt in the 16th century and demolished in 1797 during the French Revolution. The remaining structure is now protected as a national historic monument.

The tower was constructed between 1509 and 1523 during the reign of Francis I. Its elaborate decoration reflects the prosperity of its patrons, the wholesale butchers of the nearby Les Halles market. The masons responsible for the work were Jean de Felin, Julien Ménart and Jean de Revier. 

Dedicated to Saint James the Greater, the church and its tower served as an important point of departure for pilgrims travelling via Tours towards the Way of St James and the shrine of Santiago de Compostela. The presence of a relic of the saint strengthened this association, and in 1998 the tower was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the sites marking the pilgrimage routes to Compostela in France.

During the French Revolution, the church was demolished in 1793, with the tower spared under the terms of its sale for building materials. In 1824 the tower was used as a shot tower for the manufacture of lead shot. It was repurchased by the City of Paris in 1836 and officially listed as a monument historique in 1862. A statue of Saint James was installed at the summit in the 19th century.

Under the Second Empire, the architect Théodore Ballu undertook a major restoration of the tower, placing it on a substantial pedestal and designing a small public garden around it. This work coincided with the construction of the Rue de Rivoli and the nearby Avenue Victoria, which required significant alterations to ground levels. 

The pedestal allowed the tower to retain its original height relative to the surrounding streets. The change in elevation is still visible today in the Rue Saint-Bon, where a staircase leads up to the former street level at the Rue de la Verrerie.

At the base of the tower stands a statue of Blaise Pascal, commemorating his experiments on atmospheric pressure, although it remains uncertain whether these were conducted at this site or at the church of Saint-Jacques-du-Haut-Pas. A meteorological laboratory is installed at the top of the tower. 

The monument also inspired Alexandre Dumas to write his play ‘La tour Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie‘ in 1856. Nicolas Flamel, the reputed alchemist and a benefactor of the church, was buried beneath its floor.

In the early 21st century, the tower underwent extensive investigation and restoration. Scaffolding and protective sheeting were erected for several years while surveys assessed the condition of the stonework. 

These studies confirmed that most of the masonry and decoration dates from the original late-medieval construction rather than 19th-century restoration, but also revealed significant structural cracking. The upper sections were unveiled in March 2008 following renovation, and the scaffolding was fully removed by early 2009. The surrounding garden was subsequently restored and reopened to the public on 18 April 2009.

Institut du monde arabe

The Cleopatra VII exhibition was held at the Institut du monde arabe. The Institut du monde arabe (IMA) is a cultural organisation founded in Paris in 1980 by France in partnership with 18 Arab countries. 

Its mission is to study, present and disseminate knowledge of the Arab world, including its cultural, artistic and spiritual heritage. Created in response to what was seen as an underrepresentation of Arab culture in France, the Institute provides a secular forum dedicated to the promotion of Arab civilisation, arts, knowledge and aesthetics. Its facilities include a museum, library, auditorium, restaurant, offices and meeting rooms.

The Institute is housed in a purpose-built structure on the Rue des Fossés Saint-Bernard in the 5th arrondissement. The project was first conceived in 1973 under President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing. Construction took place between 1981 and 1987 during the presidency of François Mitterrand, as part of his programme of major urban initiatives known as the Grands Projets. The IMA was inaugurated on 30 November 1987 by President Mitterrand. 

Libya joined the organisation in 1984, and the Institute works to foster cooperation and exchanges between France and the Arab world, particularly in the fields of science and technology, with the broader aim of strengthening mutual understanding between Europe and Arab nations.

The IMA is a member of the Forum of Foreign Cultural Institutes in Paris and of EPRA (Exchanges and Radio Productions). It is sometimes referred to as the ‘Arab Beaubourg‘, in reference to the Centre Georges Pompidou. In 2016, the Institute opened a regional branch in Tourcoing. The director of the Institute is Chawki Abdelamir.

The building itself was constructed between 1981 and 1987 and has a total floor area of approximately 16,900 square metres. The design competition, held in 1981, was won by Architecture-Studio in collaboration with Jean Nouvel. Funded jointly by the French state and the League of Arab States, the project cost approximately €230 million.

Architecturally, the building forms a transition between the large rationalist blocks of the Jussieu University campus and the River Seine. Its river-facing façade follows the curve of the embankment, softening the rigidity of the urban grid and offering open views from the Pont de Sully, while the structure appears to fold back towards the Saint-Germain-des-Prés district. 

In contrast, the south-west façade is a strict, rectilinear glass curtain wall overlooking a public square oriented towards the Île de la Cité and Notre-Dame.

Behind this glass façade lies one of the building’s most distinctive features: a metallic screen composed of 240 motor-controlled, photosensitive apertures. These geometric shutters function as an automated brise-soleil, regulating the penetration of light and heat. 

The resulting filtered interior light recalls traditional techniques of Islamic architecture adapted to climatic conditions. This innovative fusion of technology and architectural reference played a significant role in establishing Jean Nouvel’s international reputation and has become one of the defining architectural landmarks of Paris.

In recognition of its architectural significance, the Institut du monde arabe received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 1989, with the jury including the historian Oleg Grabar.

Le Remontalou

Le Remontalou is a brasserie, bar and restaurant with Auvergne-inspired dishes located at 82 avenue Daumesnil in the 12th arrondissement. Maxime inspired le to have lunch there after he posted some photos. 

It presents itself as a classic yet lively Parisian establishment, combining food, drinks and a sociable atmosphere. Open daily from early morning until late at night, it functions equally as a neighbourhood café, an after-work bar and a casual dining venue. Prices are generally moderate, with most main dishes falling in the mid-range typical of Parisian brasseries.

The restaurant offers a traditional French brasserie menu with generous portions and a focus on familiar, comforting dishes. Specialities include classics such as bœuf bourguignon, homemade beef tartare with fries, fish and chips, cordon bleu, duck confit and sausages served with aligot. Aligot is a cheese mashed patatoes dish, which I ordered.

There are also burgers, pasta dishes and vegetarian options such as mushroom risotto. Larger cuts of meat, including côte de bœuf intended for sharing, are available at higher prices. Overall, the cuisine is straightforward and hearty rather than experimental, appealing to a broad clientele.

Its location near the Reuilly–Diderot métro station makes it easily accessible, and it is well integrated into the local neighbourhood.

Coulée verte René-Dumont and the Viaduc des Arts

The Coulée verte René-Dumont, also known as the Promenade plantée René-Dumont, is a 4.7-kilometre linear park running through the 12th arrondissement. I didn’t go there on purpose. It happened to be next Le Remontalou.

Opened in 1993 and operated by the City of Paris, it was created on disused railway infrastructure and is recognised as the world’s first major project to transform an abandoned elevated railway into a public urban garden. The promenade takes its name from René Dumont, an agronomist and environmentalist, and has since served as a model for similar projects internationally.

The route follows the former Vincennes railway line, which opened in 1859 and originally connected the Gare de la Bastille with Verneuil-l’Étang via Vincennes. 

Passenger services on the Paris–Vincennes section ended in 1969 following the creation of the RER A, leaving the line within Paris abandoned. From the late 1970s onwards, this obsolete infrastructure became the focus of an ambitious urban regeneration programme aimed at revitalising the eastern districts of the capital.

At its western end, near the Opéra Bastille, the Coulée verte runs atop the Viaduc des Arts, formerly known as the Viaduc de la Bastille. This imposing brick-and-stone structure, approximately 1.5 kilometres long and rising to a height of around ten metres, consists of 64 vaulted arches constructed as part of the original railway line. Today, it forms one of the most distinctive sections of the promenade. The upper level is reserved for pedestrians and offers a landscaped walkway with views over the surrounding streets, while the arches below have been converted into workshops, studios and small cafés.

The transformation of the viaduct into the Viaduc des Arts was designed by the architect Patrick Berger under the direction of SEMAEST, a public–private development agency. The project aimed to preserve the architectural character of the viaduct while giving it a new economic and cultural function. The arches were cleaned and enclosed with glass walls, with their central sections left open to accentuate the rhythm and curvature of the structure through light and shadow. The resulting spaces, ranging from around 150 to 460 square metres, now house artisans working in fields such as glassmaking, furniture design and jewellery, continuing the 12th arrondissement’s long-standing tradition of skilled craftsmanship.

Beyond the Viaduc des Arts, the Coulée verte continues eastwards, gradually changing in character. Near the rue Montgallet, it crosses the Jardin de Reuilly and descends to ground level. 

From there, it follows the former railway alignment as a landscaped green corridor, at times running below street level through cuttings and tunnels. The route integrates several parks and squares, including the Jardin de la gare de Reuilly, where a former station building has been preserved and reused, as well as the squares Hector-Malot and Charles-Péguy. 

Near the rue du Sahel, the promenade divides, with one branch continuing towards the boulevard périphérique and the other terminating at the square Charles-Péguy along the former route of a branch line that once connected to the Petite Ceinture railway.

Access to the elevated western section is provided by staircases and lifts and is restricted to pedestrians, while the eastern, ground-level sections are accessible via ramps and stairways and are open to both pedestrians and cyclists. 

Together, the Coulée verte René-Dumont and the Viaduc des Arts form a continuous landscape and cultural corridor that combines green space, architectural heritage and contemporary urban life. Their innovative reuse of former railway infrastructure has not only reshaped the eastern part of Paris but has also influenced later projects such as the High Line in New York and the Bloomingdale Trail in Chicago.

Place de la Bastille

After the Coulée verte, I decided to walk in the direction of Paris City Hall, meaning I crossed Bastille Square.

The Place de la Bastille is a major public square, occupying the site of the former Bastille prison. The fortress stood here until it was stormed on 14 July 1789 and subsequently dismantled over the following year during the French Revolution. Today, no visible remains of the prison survive on the square itself.

The square lies at the junction of three arrondissements: the 4th, 11th and 12th. Commonly referred to simply as Bastille, it is dominated by the July Column (Colonne de Juillet), which commemorates the July Revolution of 1830. 

Other prominent features include the Opéra Bastille, the Bastille Métro station and the entrance to the Canal Saint-Martin. Until 1984, the former Gare de la Bastille stood on the site now occupied by the opera house.

Place de la Bastille is a frequent venue for concerts and public events, and the surrounding area is known for its lively nightlife, particularly to the north-east, where numerous cafés, bars, clubs and concert halls are concentrated. 

Owing to its powerful symbolic value in French political history, the square has long been a focal point for demonstrations and rallies.

The Bastille itself was constructed between 1370 and 1383 during the reign of Charles V as part of the defensive system protecting Paris. In the 17th century, under the direction of Cardinal Richelieu, it was converted into a state prison. Over time, it became associated with the detention of political prisoners, religious dissenters, controversial writers and individuals imprisoned by royal order through lettres de cachet. Although conditions inside the prison were often better than those in many other contemporary French prisons, popular accounts portrayed it as a symbol of arbitrary power and despotism.

By the late 18th century, the fortress consisted of eight closely grouped towers, each around 24 metres high, enclosing two courtyards and an armoury. Prisoners were housed in multi-storey towers, while the infamous underground dungeons were no longer in use by the reigns of Louis XV and Louis XVI, both of whom sought penal reform. Despite these realities, the Bastille’s reputation as an emblem of oppression made it a potent target during the revolutionary unrest of 1789.

On 14 July 1789, following several days of tension and disorder in Paris, a crowd gathered outside the Bastille demanding access to its weapons and gunpowder. At the time, the prison held only seven inmates. Its garrison comprised around 80 veteran soldiers, reinforced shortly before by Swiss grenadiers. After protracted negotiations and sporadic fighting, the crowd, aided by mutinous soldiers of the Gardes Françaises and artillery, forced the surrender of Governor Bernard-René de Launay. The fortress was taken in the late afternoon, an event that quickly assumed immense symbolic importance and is now commemorated as France’s national day.

In the years that followed, the site of the Bastille underwent several transformations. In 1792, it was designated as a square dedicated to liberty, and plans were made for a commemorative column, though these were not immediately realised. Under Napoleon I, a monumental elephant sculpture was proposed for the site, to be cast from captured cannons. 

Only a full-scale plaster model was constructed, later immortalised by Victor Hugo in ‘Les Misérables‘, before its demolition in 1846. The present July Column was finally commissioned under Louis-Philippe I and inaugurated in 1840. The area later suffered damage during the Paris Commune in 1871.

Today, the Place de la Bastille occupies the footprint of the former fortress. To the south lies the Bassin de l’Arsenal, a marina created from the old defensive ditch and bordered by the Boulevard de la Bastille. From this basin, the Canal Saint-Martin runs northwards beneath the square before continuing towards the Place de la Bataille-de-Stalingrad. The square is also home to the Opéra Bastille, one of Paris’s major opera venues.

Regular open-air markets take place on Thursdays and Sundays along the nearby Boulevard Richard-Lenoir, offering fresh produce, foodstuffs, clothing and assorted market goods. 

Although the Bastille itself has vanished, archaeological remains of one of its towers were uncovered during Métro construction in 1899 and relocated to the Square Henri-Galli, where they can still be seen. The outline of the former fortress is also traced in the surrounding streets through distinctive paving stones, allowing visitors to visualise its original extent. The area is served by the Bastille Métro station, which connects lines 1, 5 and 8, reinforcing the square’s role as a central and symbolic crossroads of Paris.

Rue Pierre Seel

On my way, I encountered the Rue Pierre Seel in Paris’ gaybourhood Le Marais, dedicated to Pierre Seel (16 August 1923 – 25 November 2005), who was a French gay Holocaust survivor and the only person from France to have publicly testified about deportation during World War II on the grounds of homosexuality. 

His life and testimony played a crucial role in bringing recognition to homosexual victims of Nazi persecution, particularly those from Alsace and Moselle.

Seel was born in Haguenau, Alsace, into an affluent Catholic family and was the youngest of five sons. His father ran a successful pâtisserie and confectionery business in Mulhouse, while his mother, formerly a department store director, joined the family enterprise after marriage. 

During childhood, Seel learned that his younger sister, whom he had believed to be his sibling, was in fact his cousin, adopted after her mother’s death. As a teenager, he became part of the gay and Zazou subcultures in Mulhouse, though he struggled deeply with his sexuality, which he associated with the repressive Catholic environment of his upbringing. He later described himself as angry and conflicted during these years.

In 1939, while in the Square Steinbach in Mulhouse, a public garden known as a meeting place for men, Seel had his watch stolen. When he reported the theft to the police, his name was added to a register of homosexuals. 

Although homosexuality had not been illegal in France since 1791, individuals identified as homosexual were subject to surveillance and persecution, a situation that worsened under both Vichy authorities and Nazi occupation. 

The German invasion put an end to Seel’s plans to study textiles in Lille, and he instead completed vocational training before finding work as a shop assistant.

On 3 May 1941, Seel was arrested by the Gestapo. He was subjected to severe torture, including rape, before being imprisoned and then transferred to the Schirmeck-Vorbrück concentration camp in Alsace. At Schirmeck, prisoners did not wear the pink triangle; Seel was marked with a blue bar, used for Catholic and so-called ‘asocial’ detainees. He later recalled the extreme isolation of homosexual prisoners, who were regarded as the lowest caste within the camp. During his detention, he witnessed the execution of his eighteen-year-old lover, Jo, who was killed by attack dogs in front of the prisoners.

After months of forced labour, starvation and abuse, Seel was unexpectedly released in November 1941. He was made a German citizen against his will, sworn to secrecy about his detention, and required to report daily to the Gestapo. 

In 1942, he was conscripted into the Reichsarbeitsdienst and later forcibly incorporated into the Wehrmacht as one of the malgré-nous, young men from annexed Alsace compelled to serve in the German army. 

Over the next three years, Seel was sent across occupied Europe, including Yugoslavia and the Eastern Front. He participated in brutal anti-partisan operations, witnessed atrocities against civilians, and suffered serious injuries, including a broken jaw that caused him to lose all his teeth.

His wartime experience included a brief and disturbing posting to a Lebensborn facility, followed by work as a Reichsbank teller on military trains in the Balkans. In Berlin, he assisted civilians sheltering from prolonged Allied bombardments. 

Later, on the Russian front near Smolensk, he narrowly survived a near-suicidal assignment in which his companion was killed. As Germany collapsed, Seel attempted to desert, surrendered to Soviet forces, and narrowly escaped execution in Poland by stepping forward before a firing squad and singing ‘The Internationale‘.

Seel’s return to France was long and arduous, taking him through Eastern Europe and the Black Sea under dire conditions. He was still in Poland on 8 May 1945 and later contracted malaria while in a refugee camp in Odessa. 

Advised to conceal his Alsatian origins and change his name, he finally arrived in Paris in August 1945. On returning to Mulhouse, he realised that he could not speak openly about the true reason for his deportation. Like many others, he felt excluded from the sense of liberation experienced by the wider population.

In post-war France, laws discriminating against homosexuals remained in force, and social hostility made public testimony dangerous. Seel faced rejection within his own family, including disinheritance by his godfather. He devoted himself to caring for his mother and working in the textile trade, while also helping impoverished families through charitable work. 

Struggling with shame and isolation, he attempted to suppress his sexuality and married in 1950, without disclosing his past to his wife. The marriage produced three children but was marked by emotional distance, frequent moves, and growing personal distress.

By the late 1970s, Seel’s marriage had collapsed and he suffered from alcoholism and depression. A turning point came in 1979 when he encountered the memoir ‘The Men with the Pink Triangle‘ by Heinz Heger. This inspired him to come out as both gay and a survivor of Nazi persecution. He joined David et Jonathan, a Christian gay and lesbian association, and began speaking publicly.

In the early 1980s, Seel’s testimony was published anonymously, before he finally revealed his identity in 1982 through an open letter protesting anti-gay statements by the Bishop of Strasbourg. From then on, he became a prominent advocate for the recognition of homosexual victims of Nazism. 

Despite facing hostility, physical attacks and death threats, he continued his activism, supporting memorial initiatives and participating in commemorative events across Europe.

In 1994, Seel published his memoir ‘Moi, Pierre Seel, déporté homosexuel‘, written with journalist Jean Le Bitoux. The book was translated into several languages and brought him international recognition. 

He appeared in the documentary ‘Paragraph 175‘ and received official recognition as a Holocaust victim in 2003. In later years, he lived in Toulouse with his long-term partner, Eric Féliu, and overcame his lifelong fear of dogs by breeding them.

Pierre Seel died of cancer in 2005 and was buried in Bram, in southern France. Since his death, his legacy has continued to grow. 

Streets in Toulouse and Paris have been named in his honour, and his life inspired the television film ‘Un amour à taire‘. Today, Seel is remembered as a central figure in the struggle for recognition of homosexual victims of the Holocaust and as one of the most courageous witnesses to a long-silenced history.

Hôtel de Ville

The Hôtel de Ville is the city hall of Paris and stands on the Place de l’Hôtel-de-Ville – Esplanade de la Libération in the 4th arrondissement. Serving as the seat of Paris’ municipal government since 1357, it is both an administrative centre and a major ceremonial venue. The present building, completed in 1892, is designed in the Renaissance Revival style and rises to a height of 50 metres. It is protected as a monument historique.

The origins of the Hôtel de Ville date back to July 1357, when Étienne Marcel, provost of the merchants and effectively the city’s mayor, purchased the so-called Maison aux Piliers on the Place de Grève, a riverside area that functioned as a port and later became a public square. 

From that moment onward, Paris’s municipal administration has remained on this site. In the early 16th century, King Francis I decided that the capital deserved a city hall worthy of its status as Europe’s largest city. He commissioned the Italian architect Dominique de Cortone, known as Boccador, and the French architect Pierre Chambiges to design a new building in the spirit of the Renaissance. Construction began in 1533 and was completed in 1628 under Louis XIII.

For more than two centuries, the Hôtel de Ville changed little in appearance, yet it was the setting for major historical events. During the French Revolution, the provost Jacques de Flesselles was killed there on 14 July 1789, and in July 1794 Maximilien Robespierre was arrested in the building after a failed suicide attempt. 

From 1834 onwards, the Hôtel de Ville became the formal seat of the Paris municipal council. To accommodate the growing administration, two additional wings were added in the 1830s under the direction of architects Étienne-Hippolyte Godde and Jean-Baptiste Lesueur.

Under the Second Empire, the building became a stage for imperial power and major state ceremonies, including Queen Victoria’s visit in 1855. 

Baron Haussmann reshaped the surrounding area, demolishing streets to improve access and create the Avenue Victoria. During the Franco-Prussian War and its aftermath, the Hôtel de Ville again played a central political role. It was occupied by revolutionaries in October 1870 and served as the headquarters of the Paris Commune in 1871. 

As government forces approached during the final days of the Commune, the building was deliberately set on fire on 23–24 May 1871, destroying it almost entirely along with most of Paris’s municipal archives.

Reconstruction began in 1873 and lasted nearly two decades. Architects Théodore Ballu and Édouard Deperthes won the public competition to rebuild the Hôtel de Ville. 

They recreated the external appearance of the Renaissance structure on a grander scale, while designing a completely new interior richly decorated in the late 19th-century style. The rebuilt building retained the historic façade but incorporated wider wings and modernised ceremonial spaces, reopening fully in 1892.

Since the French Revolution, the Hôtel de Ville has remained the backdrop to key moments in national history. In 1870, the proclamation of the French Third Republic took place there. 

On 25 August 1944, following the liberation of Paris, General Charles de Gaulle delivered his famous speech from its windows, proclaiming the city liberated. In more recent history, the building gained attention in 2002 when openly gay Mayor Bertrand Delanoë was attacked during the first Nuit Blanche festival, an event that symbolised the renewed openness of the Hôtel de Ville to the public. During the 2024 Summer Olympics, both the men’s and women’s marathon races started from the building.

Architecturally, the Hôtel de Ville is dominated by its monumental main façade, 143 metres long, articulated by pavilions, towers and a central clock. Its exterior is richly decorated with sculpture, including allegorical figures of Art and Science flanking the main entrance and hundreds of statues depicting notable figures from Paris’s history. 

Among the many sculptors involved was Auguste Rodin, who created the statue of the mathematician Jean le Rond d’Alembert. A prominent statue of Étienne Marcel stands on the south side, facing the Seine.

The interior contains a sequence of lavishly decorated ceremonial rooms. The Salle des Fêtes was conceived as a republican counterpart to the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles and is adorned with frescoes representing the historic provinces of France. 

Other notable spaces include the formal dining room with carved oak panelling and statuary, and the Salon des Arcades, dedicated to the arts, sciences and letters, each decorated with monumental paintings by leading artists of the late 19th century.

Situated near the Rue de Rivoli, the Hôtel de Ville is closely associated with its surroundings, including the Bazar de l’Hôtel de Ville (BHV) department store and the nearby church of Saint-Gervais-Saint-Protais. Today, the Hôtel de Ville remains both a symbol of Parisian civic identity and a living monument to the city’s turbulent political and architectural history.

Rue des Mauvais-Garçons

The Rue des Mauvais-Garçons or Bad Boys Street is a short historic street in the Le Marais district, located in the Saint-Gervais quarter of the 4th arrondissement. Measuring just 33 metres in length and about 10 metres in width, it runs from 44 rue de Rivoli to numbers 1–7 rue de la Verrerie. Despite its modest size, the street has a long and colourful history.

The origin of its name is disputed. According to Lazare and Edgar Mareuse, it refers to bands of French and Italian brigands and adventurers who terrorised Paris at a time when King Francis I was held captive by Charles V. 

Paris historian Jacques Hillairet offers a more prosaic explanation, suggesting that the name came from butcher’s apprentices who lived there in the 15th century and were known for causing disorder. Another theory, advanced by Lucien Lambeau, claims that Pierre de Craon the Elder hid the assassins of the Constable de Clisson in the street in 1392.

The earliest recorded name of the street is Rue Chartron. It appears under this name in ‘Le Dit des rues de Paris‘ by Guillot de Paris, who notes that it was then inhabited by prostitutes. In the 16th century, it was referred to as Rue Chartron dite des Mauvais-Garçons, before the original name was dropped altogether. To distinguish it from a similarly named street on the Left Bank, it later became known as Rue des Mauvais-Garçons–Saint-Jean.

By the 17th century, the street already had a poor reputation. An inspection report from 1636 describes it as filthy and strewn with refuse. In the 19th century, the historian Édouard Fournier characterised it as a foul and dangerous alley, recalling that under Francis I it was notorious for crime, with thieves and prostitutes frequenting the area.

Before the mid-19th century, Rue des Mauvais-Garçons–Saint-Jean was significantly longer, extending nearly 100 metres through what was then the Marché-Saint-Jean quarter. A decree of 29 September 1854 shortened the street to make way for the construction of Rue de Rivoli. The levelling works carried out at that time explain the steps still visible in the western pavement near rue de la Verrerie, which remains at its original elevation.

Place des Vosges

The Place des Vosges or Vosges Square, originally known as the Place Royale, is the oldest purpose-built square in Paris, predating the Place Dauphine by only a short time. It lies in the Le Marais district and straddles the boundary between the 3rd and 4th arrondissements. 

Enclosed on all four sides, the square is entered via a main street on one side and through two covered passages beneath pavilions on the north and south. During the 17th and 18th centuries it was one of the most fashionable and expensive addresses in the city, contributing greatly to the aristocratic prestige of the Marais. 

Together with the Place des Victoires, Place Dauphine, Place Vendôme and Place de la Concorde, it forms part of the group of Paris’s five historic royal squares.

The square was laid out between 1605 and 1612 on the orders of King Henry IV. Measuring a perfect 140 metres by 140 metres, it represented one of the earliest examples of planned royal urban development in Europe. 

It was built on the site of the former Hôtel des Tournelles and its gardens, which Catherine de’ Medici had had demolished. The Place Royale was inaugurated in 1612 with an elaborate carrousel held to celebrate the engagement of Louis XIII to Anne of Austria, and it soon became a model for later residential squares across Europe.

One of its most innovative features was the uniformity of its architecture. The façades, probably designed by Jean-Baptiste Androuet du Cerceau, were all constructed to the same design, combining red brick with stone quoins and resting on vaulted arcades supported by square pillars. Above them rise steep slate roofs punctuated by small dormer windows. Only the northern side was built with the vaulted ceilings originally intended for the arcaded galleries.

On the north and south sides stand two pavilions that rise above the continuous roofline and provide access to the square through triple arches. 

Known as the King’s Pavilion and the Queen’s Pavilion, they were largely symbolic; no monarch ever lived on the square, with the brief exception of Anne of Austria, who stayed for a short time in the Pavilion de la Reine. The Place Royale quickly became a social centre where members of the nobility met, strolled and conversed, a role it retained until the French Revolution.

Even before the square was completed, Henry IV had initiated the creation of the nearby Place Dauphine. Within just a few years, he oversaw an ambitious programme of urban renewal that also included major works at the Louvre, the construction of the Pont Neuf and the founding of the Hôpital Saint-Louis, transforming large parts of medieval Paris.

An equestrian bronze statue of Louis XIII was later erected in the centre of the square at the initiative of Cardinal Richelieu. Although many aristocratic residents moved to the Faubourg Saint-Germain in the late 18th century, the Place Royale retained several noble owners until the Revolution. 

During the revolutionary period it was briefly renamed Place de la Fabrication-des-Armes, before being officially renamed Place des Vosges in 1800, in honour of the département of Vosges, the first to pay its taxes in support of the Revolutionary army. Its original name was restored under the Bourbon Restoration and again during the Second Empire, while in 1830 it briefly became the Place de la République. Since 1870, it has definitively borne the name Place des Vosges.

So?

My day in Paris was short, but I managed to see a few sights. 

Starting in the morning but after rush hour, it was relatively quiet in the streets I passed. That changed during the day. 

I’ll probably return. But as with London, I know feel I need ‘a reason’. Such as an exhibition or another event.