Page 83 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - France

A selection of nostalgic tins on display

ÎLE DE LA CITÉ,

MARAIS AND

BEAUBOURG

The Île de la Cité is where Paris began. This
tear-drop-shaped island on the Seine was settled
by Celtic tribes in the 3rd century BC; one of them,
the Parisii, eventually gave its name to the city.
The island offered a convenient river crossing on
the route between northern and southern Gaul
and was easily defended. In later centuries the
settlement was expanded by the Romans, the
Franks and the Capetian kings to form the nucleus
of today’s city. Connected to the island by bridge is
the tiny Île Saint-Louis, named after King Louis IX.
Situated to the north of the Île de la Cité on
the Seine’s right bank is the Marais district, encom-
passing the neighbouring Beaubourg area. Once
an area of marshland (marais means “swamp”), this
district grew steadily in importance from the
14th century, by virtue of its proximity to the
Louvre, the preferred residence of Charles V. Its
heyday was in the 17th century, when it became
a fashion able area for the monied classes.
Abandoned by its royal residents during the
789 Revolution, the Marais descended into an
architectural wasteland before being rescued in
the 1960s. Today its lively streets are packed with
contemporary art galleries, cutting-edge design
boutiques and handsome town houses, as well
as the eye-catchingly eclectic Pompidou Centre.
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