Place des Vosges; Where to be in Paris
Paris Kiosque - November 1997 - Volume 4, Number 11
Copyright (c) November 1997 Jacqueline Donnelly - used with permission
So it is your third day in Paris and you have visited the Louvre, walked
the Champs-Elysées, ascended the Eiffel Tower, eaten in the Quartier Latin,
and taken the Bateau Mouche around the city.
Tired? Looking for a place to be and not to do? I have just the
suggestion because it is where I love to go at any time of year but oh so
lovely when the weather is right.
It is the Place des Vosges in the Marais district. Imagine a square
bordered on all sides by magnificent, pink and white stone buildings graced
with arcades on the ground level. The square itself is a garden with a rich
lawn for Parisians to lounge on cooled by a light spray from the fountain.
Lie down and take in the architecture as I tell you about the history of
the area, and what you can explore after your rest.
The Marais district (marais means marsh) was known from Roman days as a
swampland until in the 12th century the Knights Templars and other
religious groups cleared the lands north of the Philippe Auguste wall which
at the time defined Paris.
As I outline the highlights of the area's history, you will see that its
character changed reflecting the personality of its inhabitants.
The Jews were invited to settle outside the wall and from that time have
left their mark. La rue Rosier is dotted with wonderful kosher
markets,and stores selling religious artifacts.
Miscellany for sale.
This quartier became a working class area offering a variety of mercantile
shops and small manufacturing businesses.
In 1385 Charles the V changed the tone of the district from practical to
pleasurable by moving
his court here. The most notable address was the "Hotel des Tournelles".
This royal residence became the center of dazzling court life and marked
the Marais area as the social center of Paris.
Don't try to find it today. Catherine de Medici had the residence
destroyed after her beloved husband Henri II was killed in a joust nearby
while celebrating the marriage of their daughter. If only he had listened
to the warnings of his superstitious wife. But no, Henri decided to display
his prowess in a match with the captain of the guard. As Victor Hugo
noted, "Montmorency's lance created the Place des Vosges".
If you are into gory stories, here is something to muse about. This square
was the sight of countless early morning duels between nobles. One
memorable encounter in 1578 took place between three followers of King
Henri III and three of partisans of his enemy, the Duke de Guise. Of the
six, two died in bloody combat on the field, two within the following
weeks, and two survived.
Impromptu jazz beneath an arcade in the Place des Vosges.
The square was the site of a horse market until Henri IV proposed a silk
factory and rooms to house the workers involved in the project The king,
renown as a gallic lover, was no businessman and the venture failed.
This real estate was too precious for the relics of this abandoned
venture, and soon the nobles with an eye for renovation, moved into these
abandoned appartments and created a tres chic neighborhood.
The classical 17th century writer Corneille called the square "Place
Royale" confirming that this was definitely the place to be.
Imagine the elegant courts of Louis XIII, for example, the three
musketeers rushing about, the fashionable ladies of the court strolling to
see and be seen by others, illicit moonlight rendez-vous - all of this
happened in the Place des Vosges!
A wonderful account of the times was documented in her letters to her
daughter, by the most notable of the gossips, the Marquise de Sevigne. She
was born at number #l Place des Vosges, and she lived about the quartier in
at least 10 residences before occupying the Hotel de Carnavalet. Her
writings bring alive the elegance of the era.
During the reign of Louis XIV, the court moved to the Saint-Germain area
and the place lost its royal allure.
The name of the square was changed from the Place Royale not because of the
absence of nobility but for a very amusing reason. After the revolution,
Lucien Bonaparte, anxious to collect taxes from the country, announced a
contest: the department which paid the largest proportion of taxes by a set
date would have a street named after it! The Vosges region rose to the
bait, paid their tithe and received the recognition it sought, thus today,
the square is called la Place des Vosges.
In the 19th century,
Victor Hugo lived for 15 years on the third floor of a
residence, at N. 6,Place des Vosges. If you are an admirer of his work, do
visit the museum which houses memorabilia from his life including his tall
writing desk where he would stand to write. It was at this residence that
he wrote the play "Ruy Blas".
When you leave through the iron gates of the park, you will want to stroll
beneath the arcades which line the perimeter of the square, listen to jazz
ensembles,
or free-lance opera singers performing for coins tossed by the
admiring crowds, You must, however, pause at a wonderful tea salon, "La
Guirlande de Julie". Do visit the eclectic art galleries, and antique shops
along the way.
"La Guirlande de Julie" restaurant in the Place des Vosges.
The surrounding streets are rich in clothing shops, bookstores, and museums
located in the magnificent private noble residences called "Hotels."
The private collection of Picasso's works that he retained in his
possession is in the Hotel Sale. I think the baronial staircase, and the
sculptured walls are as worthy of your attention as the tableaux.
If you love French history, the Musee de l'Histoire de France in the Hotel
de Soubise is rich in artifacts from prehistoric times, to the present. It
is exciting to see the actual treaties, maps, and personal letters of the
kings of France which bring alive the eras one has studied. There is even
the chess set used by the doomed Louis XVI during his imprisonment.
This as you now realize is not a quartier to be done in a day. Bide your
time according to the weather; in the rain do plan to visit the many
museums, and in the sun, stray no farther than the park and shops in the
Place des Vosges.
Visiting Paris can be draining and the Place offers an opportunity to lay
back, take in the sight of such a beautiful square and rejoice in your good
fortune to be in the French capital.
Jackie Donnelly, earned her B.A. in French from Connecticut College and her
Master's Degree in French language and literature from Boston University.
Ms. Donnelly has taught French at the high school and university level for over 25 years.
and is an 18 time visitor to France, and describes herself as 100% American
but sentimentally 100% French.
She was recently awarded the Palmes Academiques by the
French Minister of Education.
Currently she is serving as chair of a committee on the National Task Force of the
American Association of Teachers of French.
She can be contacted via this link.
