Paris à l'époque de Philippe Auguste, le mur, la ville, le quotidien. Medieval houses on Rue François-Miron. While wandering around the Marais, make sure to take a detour over to Rue François-Miron (map) to get a glimpse of these two gorgeous medieval houses. They really stand out when you see them in the context of all the plain gray/white 19th-century buildings that run up and down that street. Here, I translated the Histoire de Paris sign for ya: (If you're into this kind of thing, there are a couple other medieval houses up on Rue Volta, near the Musée des Arts et Métiers.)
Enjoy! ShareThis. Le Marais, visit Paris historical district. Known since medieval times as “The Swamp,” Le Marais is a museum of architectural styles. Focusing on lesser-known buildings, Patrick de Belioux guides us through the chronology and helps us decipher these stunning facades. By Patrick de Belioux for The Paris Times.
During the late Middle Ages, Paris was divided into many small parcels, with narrow houses tightly erected against one another. Le Marais, or literally The Swamp, which has retained its name to this day and now comprises the 3rd and 4th arrondissements, was once covered with tiny irrigated fields that produced vegetables for the city. In the 16th century, when noblemen and the bourgeoisie were looking for plots large enough for their residences, they turned to this part of town, which wasn’t developed yet. Through the 18th century, they built magnificent hôtels particuliers - large one-family houses - many of which resembled genuine palaces.
It’s time to move on, architecturally-speaking. English - Blandy les Tours. Map of Paris in the Middle Ages - Full size. Le site des voyages et circuits thématiques. Lost Paris: Documenting the disappearance of a Medieval City. If you can’t make it to Paris (or time travel), the next best thing is to head to a very interesting show of pictures currently being held at the National Gallery of Art in Washington. Charles Marville: Photographer of Paris is a collection of photographs of a Paris lost, moments before its disappearance. Before it became the city of light, before the Eiffel Tower became its unmistakable symbol, photographer Charles Marville was commissioned to document the transition from medieval Paris, a city that would be all but destroyed to make way for a modern, symmetric and more efficient Paris. Under the order of Napoleon III, General Haussmann was in charge of tearing up streets and razing entire neighbourhoods. In the mid 1800s, Paris was essentially one big construction site.
Whereas before, when the river Seine was the centre of commerce, Haussmann’s large boulevards would become the new highways of Paris. After: The new Haussman rue des Ecoles hides a lost Paris behind it. Hôtel de Ville - a great place for an execution! Stand in the spot where Henri IV was assassinated. Henri IV was the king of France from 1589 to 1610, right up until he went and got himself assassinated in broad daylight in the middle of Paris, in the bustling neighborhood known as Les Halles.
A guy named François Ravaillac ran up to Henri's coach while it was stuck in traffic and stabbed him to death. There are two different sights to check out that mark the place where Henri IV was killed. Both are located on the Rue de la Ferronnerie, but one is a few dozen paces away from the other one. First, there's this plaque on the wall commemorating the assassination. To the left of the plaque there's this Histoire de Paris sign.
Here you can see both the plaque up above and the Histoire de Paris sign at the far left. Now, when you're facing the plaque, turn to your right and walk down the street a hundred meters or so, and you'll see this big symbol on the ground: That's the place! If you're a fan of history and gruesome stuff, all these spots are worth visting! ShareThis.