Les Halles
Metro : Les Halles
For more than 800 years Les Halles was
the “stomach” of Paris (so named
by Zola in one of his novels). All the fresh produce required by the
capital was to be found in this mythical location.
The quarter, whilst bustling during the
day, was most lively at night, with fishmongers, butchers and farmers
emerging in the streets to sell their wares to residents and
restaurateurs alike. During the 1960’s it became clear that the markets
were too big a burden for the continually expanding city, the fleet of trucks required to stock them
causing regular traffic chaos. A decision was made to move the markets
to a more practical location well outside the city limits, an enormous
replacement being constructed at Rungis in 1969. This meant of course
the destruction of the historic quarter of Les Halles with its metallic
architecture so typical of the 19th century, a prime example of this
the iron Pavillions of the architect Baltard. To fill the literal
“hole” left behind covering 7 hectares planners chose the “Forum des
Halles”, a modern shopping centre spread over four subterranean levels;
several hundred boutiques and department stores focused mainly on
clothing. On the surface gardens were planted from the Eglise
Saint-Eustache to the Centre Beaubourg, amongst which one can find the
Pavillion des Arts, a futuristic exposition hall created in 1983 in
homage to the ancient Halles of Baltard. Today, from the Fountain des
Innocents to the rue Montorgueil Les Halles is an exlusively pedestrian
quarter, where one can picnic in summer, shop all seasons of the year
and always find a coffee, beer or meal in the many surrounding
cafés, bars and restaurants.
PARIS
MYSTERIOUS :
Trocadero
and Palais de Chaillot history
Arc-de-Triomphe
Les Champs-Elysées
La Place de la Concorde
L'Opéra Garnier
Père-Lachaise Cemetery
Pigalle
Notre-Dame
Musée d'Orsay
Musée du Louvre
Montmartre
La Madeleine
Buttes-Chaumont
Les Invalides
Ile St-Louis
Bastille
Tuileries Gardens
Saint-Sulpice
Musée
Marmottan
Eiffel Tower
Passages and Galeries
Palais-Royal
