Its aristocratic mansion houses (Hôtels particuliers) in the heart of the 3rd and 4th arrondissement
This district is one of the most beautiful in the city, not by its monuments, but by its numerous mansion-houses of the XVIIth century, during the reigns of Louis XIII and Louis XIV. We will discover some of them, and their history, full of greatness and expressing the ostentatious way of life of the aristocracy for two centuries.
But we will also depict the decline of this area after the Revolution, where the magnificent houses were divided into tiny flats overcrowded by craftsmen and poor immigrants from eastern Europe, who created the most important Jewish district in the city. But from the sixties, the mansion-houses and the buildings have been restored, the district has become very fashionable, and the luxury boutiques have evicted the traditional shops. So you will discover that behind the same façades, you have a real summary of the social history of the whole city for four centuries!
By Norbert
Music Credits Creative Commons Legal Code: Kevin MacLeod – Canon in D Major (original version)