Paris 4th District
Paris 4th district is commonly known as Quartier de l’Hôtel-de-Ville.
It includes: Quartier Notre-Dame, Quartier Saint-Gervais, Quartier Saint-Merri and Quartier de L’Arsenal.
QUARTIER NOTRE-DAME: Paris 4th district extends into the heart of the historic Marais, on the right bank, as well as onto the western tip of the Ile de la Cité. The Île de la Cité, the cradle of Paris, remains to this day the spiritual and administrative heart of the capital!
Bounded to the east by the Place de la Bastille and to the west by the Hôtel-de-Ville, two emblematic buildings, this picturesque district is renowned for its ancient streets and passages, which still retain their medieval names.
Paris 4th district boasts a fascinating duality: the lively districts of Beaubourg and Hôtel de Ville, which have retained their traditional popular charm, and contrast with the aristocratic Place des Vosges.
The QUARTIER SAINT-MERRI developed around the Church of St-Merri, which served as the parish church for the moneylenders of the nearby Rue des Lombards. This lively district is also home to iconic landmarks such as the Centre Pompidou (National Museum of Modern Art), the Fontaine Stravinsky, the Hôtel de Ville, the Place du Châtelet and Tour Saint-Jacques.
The QUARTIER SAINT-GERVAIS originated as a small fishing village that developed on the Monceau-Saint-Gervais, a hillock along the north-south Roman road that crossed the marshes. Notable monuments and sites in this area include the Saint-Gervais-Saint-Protais Church, the Hôtel de Sens, the Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis Church and the Rue des Rosiers.
The prosperous QUARTIER DE L’ARSENAL takes its name from the Grand Arsenal, the gunpowder depot of the Bastille fortress, which was destroyed in an explosion in 1634.
Fortunately, most of Paris 4th district escaped Haussmann‘s renovation works in the mid-19th century.
Metro stations serving Paris 4th District
Line 1: Châtelet, Hôtel de Ville, St Paul, Bastille
Line 4: Cité, Châtelet
Line 5: Bastille, Arsenal, La Râpée
Line 7: Châtelet, Pont-Marie, Sully-Morland
