The 8th arrondissement of Paris is known to all of us for itsChamps Elysees וArc de Triomphe, located at the end of the world-famous avenue (the kosher-observant among us know the neighborhood thanks to the Chabad house located there). Today I want to take you on a tour that combines some of the most well-known places in the neighborhood with some secret places that only veteran Francophiles know about.
This is the Paris of the French Revolution but also of the Belle Époque, a Paris of inexhaustible wealth, some of which has disappeared and become office buildings where not a single living soul is found in the evening. Paris Of joy and sadness, of light and darkness. In short, a trip to Paris in all its diversity. So take lines 1, 8 or 12 and travel to the Concorde metro, because that's where our journey will begin.
Secrets of Le Marais: A Journey into the Historic and Chic Heart of Paris
Join us on a virtual journey to the most fascinating district in Paris. Together we will discover hidden courtyards, French nobility, and the true stories behind the magnificent facades.
Place de la Concorde
After you exit the metro station, take some time to take a look at this monumental square. If you listen to me, the best way to enjoy all the beauty this square has to offer is from the balcony of Hotel de la Marine or from the western end of Tuileries Gardens.
The square has a fascinating and long history, and since there are still quite a few interesting places ahead of us, I won't write it here. If you want to delve deeper and learn about all the dramas that took place here, I recommend you read the article Place de la Concorde – Fire, blood and beauty in one central square in Paris.
Rue Royale and the Church of the Madeleine
After you've finished looking at the Place de la Concorde, its many fountains and the obelisk that stands there, it's time to head north to Rue Royale, which was created specifically to allow people to reach the square from the north.
This is a very special street to me, because almost every house has been inhabited by someone famous or has housed a famous institution (a restaurant that became a symbol of the Belle Epoque, a patisserie that gave birth to the macaron line, and more). That's why I created an entire article for you called Rue Royale – How much history is there in one street in Paris? I recommend that you enter this article and walk with it up the street, until you reach the Madeleine Church (Église de la Madeleine), which is at the end of the street.
Like Rue Royale and Place de la Concorde, this church also has a fascinating history, and I dedicated an entire article to it, titled The Madeleine Church – From an Ancient Synagogue to Napoleon's Temple of GloryAfter you have finished reading this article, you are invited to tour the church and discover all the culinary attractions that are right next to it. You can find them in the article. The Church of the Magdalene – a culinary itinerary for those with a sweet tooth.
Boulevard Malesherbes
After you've finished strolling around the Madeleine Church and perhaps eaten some chocolate from the divine Patrick Roger, it's time to continue our walk. The western section of the Madeleine Square leads to the Boulevard de la Lazaret, at the end of which is the Saint Augustin Church, which we'll get to later.
This impressive boulevard was built during the reign of Emperor Napoleon III (reigned 1852-1870) and was part of the transformation process of Paris, under the direction of Baron Haussmann (Georges-Eugène Haussmann 1809-1891), during which Paris became a modern city with wide boulevards and public gardens (those interested can read about this inAn article about Paris during the Belle Epoque).
This boulevard is named after Guillaume-Chrétien de Lamoignon de Malesherbes (1721-1794), one of the most interesting and tragic figures of the 18th century. Malesherbes came from a family of the Cloak nobility, which produced several famous jurists, including the book-loving judge Guillaume Ier de Lamoignon, whose home,In the Marais district, became the National Library of Paris.
Lazarev was a very liberal and educated man, and when he was appointed chief censor of Louis XV, he decided to defend the Encyclopedists, whose writings were considered sacrilege by the Church, and to support their important life's work. The Encyclopedia became the intellectual force that set the wheels of the French Revolution, and this did indeed break out in 1789.
However, contrary to the hopes of many intellectuals, the revolution led to a wave of terror, culminating in the beheading of King Louis XVI and his wife in January 16. Marie AntoinetteIn October of that year, Lazarev, despite the enormous danger, volunteered to be Louis XVI's defense attorney during his trial, and a year later he paid for the deed with his life, ending his life on the guillotine.
Chapelle expiatoire and Rue d'Anjou
We continue our trip to another place that has become part of the mythology of French RevolutionFrom Boulevard de Lazarev, turn right on Rue Pasquier and continue north.
Eventually you will see a large garden on your left with a building in the center that is a bit dark and sad to my taste. This place was once called the Cimetière de la Madeleine and was where the bodies of Louis XVI and later his wife were brought. Marie Antoinette.
When Napoleon fell and the Bourbons returned to rule France, Louis XVI's brother, Louis XVIII (reigned 16-18), decided to build a chapel in their memory. If the subject interests you, you are welcome to read the article CHAPELLE EXPIATOIRE – The mysterious chapel in the heart of Paris And visit the place (opening hours are in the article).
Before we continue north with our route, let me recommend you take a stroll down Rue d'Anjou, located behind the chapel. The street is named after King Henry III (reigned 3-1574), who before coming to power was known as the Duke of Anjou, hence the street's name.
The reason why this street was named after him is the rumor that right here he had a “lovers’ line,” where he would bring his homosexual friends, nicknamed “Les Mignons,” and where they engaged in acts that are best kept quiet…
Several centuries later, as Paris was changing during the reign of Napoleon III, several beautiful houses were built here, including the house at number 3, owned by the famous photographer Félix Tournachon (51-1820), known as Nadar.
Nadar is perhaps considered the most famous photographer of the 19th century and he entered history not only thanks to his groundbreaking photographs (he was the first to photograph Paris from the sky using a hot air balloon and some even claim that he was the one who invented the selfie). The other reason why Nadar became famous is his friendship with the Impressionists and the work he did to allow them to hold their first exhibition in his studio on Boulevard de la Capucines in 1874.
Proust's house on Boulevard Haussmann
You are welcome to take a look at some more of the beautiful buildings of Anjou Street, and when you are done, walk north until you reach Boulevard Haussman. This is a main and bustling street, named after Baron Haussman, about whom I wrote earlier, without whom modern-day Paris would not exist.
Go to number 102 and there you will discover the house where the famous writer Marcel Proust (Marcel Proust 1871-1922) lived between the years 1907 and 1919. Proust, who spent a significant part of his life researching and writing about the high society of his time, secluded himself in this house and here he wrote most of the volumes of his monumental work “In Search of Lost Time.”
Since the apartment did not belong to him but to his aunt, he was forced to leave it in 1919 and move to an apartment on Rue Hamelin, where he died 3 years later of asthma. The trip, which we begin at this point, will take in quite a few places that Proust himself visited, so if you want to get to know Proust's Paris better, I highly recommend reading the article Proust's Paris: Following the Beauty of the Belle Epoque.
Church of Saint-Augustin (Église Saint-Augustin)
From Boulevard Haussmann, head west and you will reach the Church of Saint Augustine, which we saw on the horizon when we started walking down Boulevard Malazarev.
This church was built by none other than Victor Baltard (1805-1874), known to history buffs as the man responsible for the wholesale market buildings of La God (Unfortunately, these buildings were demolished during the 20s.)
This is a very beautiful church in my opinion and special, because it was the first church built using steel and not stone. Since this was too revolutionary for the residents of the district, most of whom belonged to the high bourgeoisie of Paris, it was decided to make a stone cladding, so that the steel cannot be seen from the outside. However, if you go inside you can see the steel arches.
If you've already gone inside, you'll probably be happy to hear that the organ here is considered one of the best in Paris, and if you're lucky, someone will be practicing playing it there. Enjoyment is guaranteed! And if you're not so lucky, you're welcome to at least listen to this video and enjoy the sound of the organ through your headphones.
When you go outside, you may notice that in the garden east of the church there is a statue. It is the statue of Paul Déroulède (1846-1914), a writer, playwright, and one of the greatest anti-Semitic figures that the world has ever known. Franceand, naturally, also one of Dreyfus's greatest haters. Despite all this, when he died in 1914, his funeral was one of the largest in France since the death of Victor Hugo In 1885.
The Municipality of the 8th District
After you have finished visiting the Church of St. Augustine, you are welcome to continue to Boulevard Malazarev, the southern part of which we have already walked, as you remember.
There, at number 56, you will find the town hall, built in 1865. Unlike many town halls in the various boroughs of Paris, this building was not built to house the borough's officials.
The person who initiated the construction of the building was Jean-François Cail (1804-1871), a man who built his wealth in ten fingers. He was born into a poor peasant family and at the age of 40, after a lot of hard work and good business decisions, he became one of the richest men in France, thanks to the steel business that he founded and managed with an iron fist.
To get a better view of his estate, you are invited to go to Rue Lisbonne. There, by the way, at number 6 you will find a magnificent building that belonged to the Martel family, who made their fortune in the cognac business.
The home of Madame Strauss, the most famous Jewish socialite of her time
Continue to 104 Rue Miromesnil and look at the building in front of you. This is where Marie-Geneviève Raphaëlle Halévy-Bizet-Straus (1849-1926) lived, one of the women who inspired the character of the Duchesse de Guermantes in Proust’s book “In Search of Lost Time.”
Genevieve was the daughter of the famous conductor Jacques-François-Fromental-Élie Halévy (1799-1861), author of the opera “La Juive”. In 1869, Genevieve married Georges Bizet (1838-1875), author of the famous opera “Carmen”, and in 1871 they had a son named Jacques, who would become a friend of Proust and help him enter the high society salons of his time.
Genevieve, thanks to her lineage, became a sought-after socialite, and her literary salon was visited by some of the greatest writers of her time, including Guy de Maupassant, with whom she may have even had an affair (literally 🙂 ). In 1875, Genevieve was widowed by Jacques Bizet, but in 1886 she married Emile Strauss, a Jewish lawyer who worked for the Rothschild family.
Her literary salon, which moved from the 9th arrondissement to where you are now, continues to be successful and becomes a meeting place for all the rich and famous of Paris. During the Dreyfus trial, the salon undergoes a difficult shock, when quite a few anti-Semites and anti-Dreyfussers leave it, following its transformation into a central meeting place for Dreyfus supporters.
After the Dreyfus Affair, Madame Strauss' literary salon waned and she withdrew from society, following a depression she suffered from, in 1910. The last years of her life were not easy and were accompanied by quite a few tragedies. The great tragedy of her life was the suicide of her son, Jacques Bizet, who lived not far from her at 72 Boulevard de Lazarev and took his own life in 1921, when the car business in which he was involved failed. Proust, her son's best friend, died about a year later and she died alone in 1926.
Museum of Miracles of Camondo
Continue on Rue Lisbonne to Rue Vezelay, where at 11bis you will find a magnificent townhouse, one of the many built on the site during the 19th century. Continue straight ahead until you reach Rue Monceau. Turn left and go to number 63.
The place you have arrived at is the Nissim de Camondo Museum, named after the son of a wealthy Jewish banker who fell in an air battle during World War I. The museum is housed in a mansion, built in the early 1th century and is a replica of the Petit Trianon inVersailles.
When the father Moïse de Camondo (1860-1935) died, he ordered the estate to be transferred to the French government, so that it could create a museum in memory of his son. The museum was indeed created, but France betrayed the Camondo family and Nissim's sister, who died for France, was handed over to the Germans and sent to an extermination camp with her children. Thus came the end of this dynasty, which once competed with the Rothschild family for the title of the richest family in France.
We highly recommend visiting this museum, which tells the story of the family and also presents an impressive collection of 18th-century art, collected by Moise de Camondo. The museum is open Wednesday-Sunday from 10:00 AM to 17:30 PM (closed Monday and Tuesday). Tickets can be purchased at the box office.
Monceau Park
After visiting the Museum of Miracles de Camondo, continue walking down Monceau Street until you reach Avenue Ruysadael, which will lead you to this charming park.
Before that, turn left onto Murillo Street and go to number 9. There you will discover parts of the Tuileries Palace and whatHotel de Ville, who survived the fire of 1871, which was caused by the Commune in revenge for the occupation of Paris by the army of the Third Republic.
Return to the main street that leads to the garden and enter through the magnificent gate. Welcome! You have arrived at my favorite garden in Paris. If you are tired, it is time to sit on one of the benches near the carousel and watch it while eating a hot waffle. It is also a great time to read the article Parc Monceau – A trip to my favorite garden in Paris, so that you don't miss any cute corner there.
I'll leave you here, because you don't really need me to fall in love with this garden. Hope you enjoyed it!
Route map
More articles that may interest you
- If you still have some strength left in your legs, you are welcome to continue leaving Parc Monceau and strolling through the 17th arrondissement. All you have to do is enter the article The secrets of the courtesan neighborhood.
- If you are looking for a luxurious and spacious apartment in the 8th district, not far from where our tour began, you are welcome to read about Audi's apartment Near Place de la Concorde.
- Want to discover more parts of the 8th arrondissement? Let me recommend you: The itinerary along the Champs-Elysées.