Paris 8th District
Paris 8th District is commonly known as Quartier de l’Elysée.
It includes: Quartier du Faubourg du Roule, Quartier de l’Europe, Quartier de la Madeleine and Quartier des Champs-Elysées.
Paris 8th district, centred around the prestigious Faubourg St-Honoré, the Champs-Elysées and the Palais de l’Elysée is the very embodiment of luxury, fashion, and haute couture.
It development began in the 1770s with the inauguration of the Champs-Élysées, Avenue Gabriel, and Rue Royale.
QUARTIER DE LA MADELEINE: This continued with the transformation of the Place de la Concorde and the construction of the Madeleine church, which attracted the aristocracy, high society and politicians to build new private mansions there.
QUARTIER DES CHAMPS-ÉLYSÉES: The Champs-Élysées quickly became a hub of entertainment, where wealthy Parisians mingled with night owls at balls, in restaurants, theatres, outdoor cafes, and circuses. The construction of the Arc de Triomphe at the beginning of the 19th century consolidated the district’s prestige. In the 1860s, Haussmann‘s renovation works of Paris included the creation of wide avenues and the embellishment of the Champs-Élysées. These works integrated the peripheral villages into Paris, thus pushing the city boundaries farther west and stimulating the housing market.
The construction of the Grand Palais and Petit Palais for the 1900 Universal Exhibition further reinforced the district’s cultural importance. Unfortunately, the Champs-Élysées of today have lost much of its historical charm. Many iconic performance venues, renowned cafes, and restaurants have closed, making way for banks, insurance company headquarters and luxury boutiques.
QUARTIER DU FAUBOURG DU ROULE: Before the 18th century, the region was dotted with modest villages such as Ville-l’Évêque, Roule, Courcelles, Villiers and Monceau, located west of the Louvre Palace. The Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, the village’s main artery, was initially lined with a few private mansions.
Rolus, a village that appeared in the early Middle Ages, later split into two distinct quarters: Haut Roule, near the long-gone Château des Ternes, and Bas Roule, near a leper colony. The parish Church of Saint-Philippe-du-Roule, founded at the end of the 17th century, became a parish church in 1862.
In the 1830s, two ambitious developers embarked on the creation of the QUARTIER DE L’EUROPE. They laid out twenty-four streets, each named after a European city, radiating out from the central square, Place de l’Europe.
At the end of the 19th century, Paris 8th district established itself as the epicentre of the vibrant intellectual, cultural and social life of the Belle-Epoque. The proliferation of theatres and private salons played an essential role in this cultural milieu, serving as meeting places for writers, artists, journalists, actors, politicians and bankers. High-fashion boutiques not only dressed elegant women, but also contributed to the spread of ideas promoting their emancipation.
Metro stations serving Paris 8th District
Line 1: Charles de Gaulle-Etoile, George V, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Palais-Royal – Musée du Louvre, Champs-Elysées-Clémenceau, Concorde
Line 2: Charles de Gaulle-Etoile, Ternes, Courcelles, Monceau, Villiers, Clichy
Line 3: Villiers, Europe, Saint-Lazare
Line 9: Alma-Marceau, Franklin D. Roosevelt, St-Philippe du Roule, Miromesnil, Saint-Augustin, Havre-Caumartin
Line 13: Clichy, Liège, Saint-Lazare, Miromesnil, Champs-Elysées-Clémenceau
