12th, 14th, 16th, 17th and 19th centuries, a stroll in the History of Paris with Aveen and David

Aveen and David - "Jardin des Plantes" (Garden of the Plants)

8:05 AM - With Aveen and David, confirmed runners from Dublin (Ireland), we explored Paris, by running and stopping in front of various buildings or places which restore the city such as it was in the previous centuries.

Discovering "Le Marais", the Left bank (Latin Quarter et "Saint-Germain des Près"), the Louvre and "Ile de la Cité" is a journey through the time and a way of feeling the History of Paris.

Paris was damaged, bombarded but never totally destroyed as were London (Great fire of 1666) or Lisbon (Earthquake of 1755). In Paris, all the layers of History are represented (since the Roman Lutetia).

Our route thus led us:

• in the 12th century with Notre-Dame,

Aveen and David - Notre-Dame seen from the Bridge of "La Tournelle" (the first stone was put in 1163)

• in the 14th century with the magnificent "Hôtel de Sens",

Aveen and David - "Hôtel de Sens", built in 1345, formerly Hotel of the Archbishops of Sens 
(Paris depending on the archbishopric of Sens until 1622).
On the left part of the building, look (below and to the right of the roof) at the cannonball pulled in July, 1830, always stuck in the wall. The date in July 28th, 1830 is registered under the cannonball.

• in the 16th century with the Carnavalet Museum (formerly "Hôtel de Carnavalet" and "Hôtel Le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau")

David and Aveen - Carnavalet Museum. Look at the magnificent blazon of Paris above the door (1889). 
Carnavalet is the Paris museum (go there and discover the History of Paris through numerous exhibitions).

• and the place Dauphine, also created at the end of the 16th century,

David et Aveen - Place Dauphine.
Notice the buildings with the red bricks. Do not they remind you those that we see "Place des Vosges"? Look at the photo Place Vosges below. These two squares were created at the same time, Royal Places!

Let us admire now four beautiful places appeared in the 17th century:

• The "Jardin du Luxembourg" (Garden of Luxembourg),

David and Aveen - 
The "Jardin du Luxembourg", created in 1612 by Marie de Médicis with the Palace of Luxembourg (now the French Senate).

• The "Jardin des Plantes", initially Royal garden of the Medicinal Plants created in 1626 (see the picture at the beginning of this article),

• The "Place des Vosges",

David and Aveen - "Place des Vosges".
Compare the building with the ones of "place Dauphine" (see the photo above).

• The "Hôtel de Sully".

David and Aveen - The Hotel of Sully, magnificent Mansion in the "Marais", the residence of Duke of Sully, Minister of Finance of Henri IV (among others!).

Our road also passes in the 19th century with the "Place de la Contrescarpe", created in 1852 in the location of a counter-scarp of Philippe Auguste's surrounding wall (12th century).

David and Aveen - "Place de la Contrescarpe" 
In the back, the street Mouffetard which dates of the roman time.

Merci Aveen ! Merci David !


The route of the tour:

Chestnut trees in flowers, place Dauphine, with Lena

Lena - Place Dauphine

11:03 AM - Lena comes from Sweden. While running, we discovered a Paris colored by the spring.
Look at the photo above where the Place Dauphine shows proudly its chestnut trees in flower.
Created shortly after the "Place des Vosges" (at that time, Place Royale), the Place Dauphine owes its name to the son of king, the "Dauphin", future Louis XIII, son of Henri IV whose we can see the statue on the west of the Place.
Beautiful small quiet square, opened on the Justice Palace, it was until 1874 a square closed by a third side of buildings. The Place was then a complete triangle.

Before and after

Here are the buildings which constituted the basis of the triangle:

Place Dauphine before 1874 - East side - No trees at the time!

Other beautiful trees and vegetables accompanied our route:

The oldest tree in Paris

Lena - Locust tree (Robinia pseudoacacia) planted in 1602 (Square René Viviani)

The plant wall which covers a part of the buildings of the Quai Branly Museum

Lena - Plant wall created in 2004 by Patrick Blanc (Administrative buildings of the Quai Branly Museum)

The trees which follow the new banks of the Seine

Lena - Banks of the river Seine (left bank) - In the background, the Eiffel Tower

Merci Lena !

The route of the tour :