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Walk 4: Ile de la Cité |
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My Paris Walks Walk 1: Paris and Chocolate Walk 2: Left Bank Walk 3: The Marais |
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This walk begins in front of Notre Dame and traces the evolution of the island from Roman times when it was only a fraction of its present size,
to Haussmann's recreation of the island in the 19th century. Nowhere is his work more felt or criticized than here. The island was jammed with Medieval
and Renaissance buildings that he did not hesitate to tear down by the hundreds. 15,000 people were evicted from the island. His rationale was hygiene.
The real reason was power. Remnants of ancient Paris remain on the island which we will view. One street he had planned to eliminate but which stands today is the only spot along the Seine where we can see the contour of the island as it was in two thousand years ago in Roman times. This is unique in all of Paris. A few feet away is the site of one of the great love stories of all time, that of Eloise and Abelard. A stop at the much treasured Place Dauphine and the adjacent Pont Neuf takes us into the era of the two Henri's, Henri III and IV and the first example of real urban planning in Paris. From there we walk down the Quai des Grands Augustins, the first of the Paris quais built in the early 14th century, and evoke the ghosts of the 14th century convent that once stood there. We finish at Place Saint-Michel for a perfect vantage point to see the final stages in the Haussmannization of the island. Click here to go back to the main My Paris Walks page. |
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 Notre Dame Cathedral  Palais de Justice, law courts, constructed in 1912. Click here to go back to the main My Paris Walks page. |