Paris1972-Versailles2003

Well once again reshuffling and organising my collection of travel documents and pictures found me more on my cd rom vault that should be in my blog for you and me. Behold, see my other post on it. A wonderful square that is worth the detour, me think, I have to tell you again about the Place des Vosges of Paris, part II !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

The Marais – Place des Vosges quartier or neighborhood is located between Boulevard Beaumarchais and Rue Vieille du Temple , and between the Pont aux Choux/Rue de Poitou axis and the Saint-Antoine/Rivoli axis. The square is bordering the 3éme and 4éme arrondissement or district of Paris, It measure 127×140 meters, The Place des Vosges built in the 17C and lined with 36 private mansions with illustrious inhabitants, it is the oldest of the royal squares in Paris. The 36 private mansions are done six on each side of the square, were built according to a uniform plan. Each building was to have a stone ground floor, two upper floors made of brick and stone, and a slate roof. Each level of each pavilion was lit by four windows. The proportions were also very precise: the height of the roofs had to be equal to their width, as well as half that of the facade. This is the secret, in a way, of the harmony of the Place des Vosges! Two pavilions, however, stand out. First, on the south side, is the King’s Pavilion, the first. Majestic with a first level of stone, enhanced by fluted and twin pilasters. Then, on the north side, is the Queen’s Pavilion. It incorporates symmetry, something that was not foreseen in the initial projects. The blue roofs are made of Angers slate and the windows are framed with white stone and red brick. The arcades are both a place for walking and house shopping arcades.

The Place des Vosges is a square, inaugurated in 1612 on the occasion of the engagement of Louis XIII and Anne of Austria. The Place Royale, now called Place des Vosges, on the site of the former Hôtel Royal des Tournelles, the Square Louis XIII has four fountains which occupy the center of the square. An equestrian statue of Louis XIII stands in the center of the square, the work of Dupaty and Cortot, erected on November 4, 1829, replacing the old bronze statue erected in 1639. On this site stood one of the most beautiful residences of the kings of France, the Hôtel des Tournelles. Owned by Charles VI from 1407, it was the favorite place of residence of the Valois family. Catherine de Medici had it demolished in 1563 and installed a horse market on its site. The Place des Vosgeswas called the Place Royale until 1792. During the French revolution, it was renamed on August 19, 1792 by the Paris Commune place des Fédérés. On July 4, 1793, the National Convention changed this name to place de l’Indivisibilité, It is also named, unofficially, Place du Parc-d’Artillerie, or Place de la Fabrication-des-Armes. In 1800, by decree of the First Consul (later Napoléon I), it was renamed Place des Vosges in the honor of the department of Vosges (88), the first to have paid the tax during the French revolution and, incidentally, the sending of the first volunteers, from the district of Remiremont, to defend the homeland in danger. In 1814, the return of the monarchy gave it its original name of Place Royale until 1830 and from 1852 to 1870. It was also briefly named Place de la République in 1830. It was not until the Third Republic that it was definitively called Place des Vosges. Lots of changes according to the power in charge.

At no, 5 Place de Vosges, the entrance is marked by tracks in the ground. Here, in fact, the railway line ran to a room in this building, the Hôtel de Rotrou. It housed the kitchens of the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits and the Grands Express Européens. Thus, until 1954, many dishes were prepared here to supply the major Parisian train stations. Taste the charms of the green lung of the Marais district, astride like the central statue of Louis XIII, is for sure offering oneself a suspended moment. Normal: upon arrival, a very special scent of eternity takes hold of the walker. Indeed sublime spot of my eternal Paris. You do well to walk into it but otherwise come by metro Saint Paul line 1 or even better bus line 29 arrêt/stop Place des Vosges or bus 69/76 arrêt/stop Birague

Some other notable buildings to see here , me think, are : No 1 Pavillon du Roi, No 1 bis Hotel Coulanges, No 2 bis Hotel 2 bis place des Vosges, No 2: Hotel Genou de Guiberville, No 3 Hotel de Montmorin, No 4: Hotel 4 place des Vosges, No 6: Hôtel de Rohan-Guémené, Maison Musée de Victor Hugo, No 6 bis: Théophile Gautier vocational school, No 7 Hotel de Sully, No 8: Hôtel de Fourcy, No 9 Hôtel de Chaulnes, No 10: Hôtel de Châtillon, No 11 Hôtel Pierrard, No 12: Hôtel Lafont, No 13 Hôtel Dyel des Hameux, No 14: Hôtel de Ribault, No 15 Hôtel Marchand, No 16: Hôtel d’Asfeldt, No 17 Hôtel de Chabannes, No 18: Hôtel de Clermont-Tonnerre, No 19 Hôtel de Montbrun, No 20 Hôtel d’Angennes de Rambouillet, No 21 Hôtel du Cardinal de Richelieu, No 22: Hôtel Laffemas, No 23 Hôtel de Bassompierre, No 24: Hôtel de Vitry, No 25 Hôtel de l’Escalopier, No 26: Hôtel de Tresmes, and No 28 Pavillon de la Reine and Hôtel d’Espinoy.

The place des Vosges has welcomes personalities from the political, media and artistic world to its square such as Madame de Sévigné, Bishop Bossuet, Victor Hugo, Marc-Antoine Charpentier, François Couperin, Alphonse Daudet, ,Duke of Sully, Colette, Isadora Duncan, Georges Simenon, Francis Blanche, Jean-Edern Hallier, DSK, Jack Lang, more recently Xavier Niel, As such ,the Place des Vosges is the meeting place for the powerful and the famous.

The Paris tourist office on the place des Vosges :  https://parisjetaime.com/eng/transport/place-des-vosges-p1907

The Guide de Marais of Paris on the place des Vosges : https://www.parismarais.com/fr/decouvrez-le-marais/les-quartiers-du-marais/place-des-vosges.html

There you go folks, a dandy and must visit in Paris. I am just glad finally have it in my blog! The Place des Vosges is one more reason to come to Paris indeed ; See you around Paris, eventually. Again, hope you have enjoy the post on the Place des Vosges of Paris, part II !!! as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!