Le Marais
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Le Marais ("the marsh") is a trendy district in Paris now celebrated for its nightlife.
It spreads across parts of the 3rd and 4th arrondissements in Paris (on the Rive Droite, or Right Bank, of the Seine).
In the eleventh century, the Ordre du Temple (Order of the Temple) cleared the marshlands in the northeast Philippe Auguste's enclosure. From the fourteenth century onwards, the aristocracy built large residences in the area, a trend which was accelerated by the creation of the Place Royale (which would become the Place des Vosges) by Henri IV in 1605.
The departure of the royal court to Versailles led to a decline in the district. Haussmann's urban redevelopment only marginally affected the Marais through new alignment rules and constructions, lending irregular width to many of the neighbourhood's streets.
Towards the end of the nineteenth century and in the first half of the twentieth century, the area surrounding the Rue des Rosiers became home to many Jews from Eastern Europe, further specializing local labour in the clothing industry. The Marais was therefore a target for the Nazis when they controlled the city.
In 1969, André Malraux made the Marais the first protected sector (secteur sauvegardé), with the area being home to many museums, art galleries and historic sites. This protection measure led to certain comical results, such as a "bakery" selling shoes.
The neighbourhood has experienced a growing gay presence since the 1980s, as evidenced by cafés, nightclubs, cabarets and shops.
Places and monuments of note
External links
- Le Marais (http://www.insecula.com/musee/M0109.html/)
- Le Marais: The Indifferent Ghetto (http://www.wellesley.edu/French/facultyhomepages/gunther/marais.htm)de:Marais