Until a few months ago Les Halles was a huge complex half-buried in the centre of Paris.
It was difficult to imagine that this tangle of metal and glass replaced the largest covered market in the capital and retained in its foundations the rich history of its origins.
The French writer Emile Zola called the old covered market-halles The Belly of Paris.
During eight centuries generations of men and women lived and worked in the covered market, passing their skills to their children.
The Forum des Halles was built in 1979 on the site of Les Halles de Baltard.
You either liked or hated this 4000m2 complex of glass and metal...
Partly buried, it consisted of four levels with fashion boutiques, cinemas, restaurants, banks, and an annex of the Grevin Museum.
The Forum des Halles was connected to a huge underground metro station and RER (suburban train).
Huge arch-shaped glass roofs brought light into the lower levels.
The Forum generated much controversy from the beginning of its construction.
It was supposed to be a modern agora but it immediately became a rallying point for young offenders.
Nobody really dared to walk late at night for fear of being assaulted, and the Forum quickly developed a bad reputation.
The City of Paris has therefore invested in a redevelopment program of 12 million Euros to rehabilitate the area.
The architects Patrick Berger and Jacques Anziutti have been selected for the construction of a new complex that will be completed in 2012.
The Forum des Halles is today a huge construction site, a tangle of twisted iron bars, broken glass and smashed concrete that can be seen through the keyhole of the fence.
The new development known as Canopy will make a very large room for greenery and will be laid out on five floors overlooking a central courtyard.
Theatres, banks and museums will remain on the south side, while restaurants and shops will remain along the Rue Rambuteau...
Demolition of the previous structure will last until the end of 2011 and the Canopy will replace it.
The history of Les Halles began in the 12th century when this now overcrowded area was born.
At that time the right bank was a vast marsh left by a former meander of the Seine.
Only the area located next to the Pont-Notre-Dame (bridge) was inhabited, and the surrounding countryside was dotted with few ch
urches and hamlets.
In 1135 King Louis le Gros decided to build a public market or Halle at a place called Campelli (fields), a name that evolved later into Champeaux and left its name to the neighbouring Rue des Petits-Champs and Rue Croix-des-Petits-Champs.
In 1143 the market on the Place de Grève could no longer meet the requirements of a growing city, and was transferred to Champeaux.
In 1183 King Philippe-Auguste built two buildings intended exclusivelyfor drapers, shoemakers, weavers and tinkers.
The covered market was soon known as La Halle and was incorporated into the walled city when the king built a rampart in the following months.
The first food stalls appeared in 1269 when King Louis IX commissioned the construction of three new buildings.
Two of these buildings were erected away from the others and were devoted to the sale of fish that arrived to Les Halles via the Chemin des Poissonniers, a lane today replaced by the Rue Poissonnière, Rue des Petits-Carreaux and Rue Montorgueil.
The pillory stood at the intersection of the current Rue Rambuteau and Rue Pirouette.
Unscrupulous merchants, thieves and miscreants of all kinds were exposed for two hours for three consecutive days.
In 1284 a new building was b
uilt for the shoemakers and leather workers.
The success of Les Halles triggered the development of the right bank.
The Chapel of Sainte-Agnes (now Saint-Eustache church) was built in 1213 and soon an entire village then a real district developed around it.
Les Halles were then open three days a week, on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
The old buildings were demolished in 1553.
The new ones were built around a central square known as Carreau that was reserved for the bread and dairy products stalls.
Les Halles were enlarged in 1788 and scattered in different areas.
These works changedthe physiognomy of the area.
A new building was built for the grain, a commodity once essential.
The Cimetière des Innocents (the current Place Joachim du Bellay) was decommissioned and the bones transferred to the Catacombes on Place Denfert-Rochereau, and the herbs and vegetables market took its place.
The wine and leather markets and were transferred to Jussieu, and the flower market was transferred on the current Place Lépine on
the Ile de la Cité.
Two new buildings were added in 1936, but nothing lasts forever and Les Halles de Baltard, the wholesale market of Paris, were demolished in the early 1970's as they had once again become obsolete for a growing city.
Their destruction caused much controversy.
Many defence groups were formed but failed to prevent the inevitable.
The glass and metal structure that triggered so many objections during its construction has become the brand name of the popular centre of Paris.
Les Halles has crossed 800 years of history that were annihilated in a few months by the mechanical diggers.
If you want to see how Les Halles de Baltard looked like, you should go to Neuilly-sur-Marne in the eastern suburbs of Paris where one of the buildings was rebuilt.
The Paris wholesale market was transferred to Rungis in the southern suburbs.
Les Halles de Rungis is a real city that stretches out over 50 hectares and benefits from its own road and rail links.
What to visit near Les Halles? St-Eustache Church, Centre Beaubourg-George Pompidou, Fontaine des Innocents
Photo Source
Photo #12: Drawing Halles de Baltard 1863 source PD-US (reutilisation document) via Wikimedia Commons, conditions for US Public Domain
Directions
1st District
Métro Châtelet-Les Halles
Welcome to the Hexagone as we French people like to call Metropolitan France...
France, a population of nearly 60 million, surrounded by six countries, three seas and divided in twenty-two regions...
France, a country of contrasting landscapes and climates, a unique architecture, a Cuisine praised and renowned around the world...
France, a country with a unique lifestyle and way of being... the French touch...
Paris its capital and first world tourist destination...
Travel France Online, we are a French team dedicated to create a collection of travel notes and photos delivering a personal insight on Paris and other regions of France, famous or less famous, their traditions, their history and sometimes legends; Explore with us, we are constantly visiting new places; they are just a click away!
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Copyright © 2010 - 2012 Travel France Online Designed and maintained by Travel France Online / TLC Online Also visit the Blog for further information http://onlinetravelfrance.blogspot.com/ |
This web site is best viewed using the latest browsers versions | ||||
|
