Place des Vosges

The Place des Vosges is the oldest planned square in Paris, a perfect rectangle of pink brick and pale stone that has hardly changed since it was finished in the early seventeenth century. It was commissioned by King Henri IV, who wanted a grand public space in the Marais, and it was designed as the Place Royale, with identical houses on all four sides. It was inaugurated in 1612 with a festival to celebrate the marriage of the young Louis XIII, and for a century it was the most fashionable address in Paris. The square is surrounded by thirty-six pavilions, nine on each side, with steep slate roofs, tall dormer windows and facades of red brick framed in white stone, built above an arcade of rounded arches at street level. The uniformity was a new idea at the time and became a model for squares across Europe.

In the middle of the square, a garden with a lawn, lime trees and four fountains, laid out in the nineteenth century, offers a pleasant place to sit. A statue of Louis XIII on horseback stands at the centre; the original was melted down during the Revolution, and the present one is a replacement from 1825. The square lost its royal name after the Revolution and was renamed after the department of the Vosges, which was the first to pay the new taxes in full in 1800, and that is how it got its present name. In the seventeenth century, young nobles fought duels here, and the sandy walks of the square were used for riding and games.

The square has been the home of many famous people. The writer Madame de Sévigné was born in one of the houses in 1626, Cardinal Richelieu lived at number 21, and Victor Hugo rented a large apartment at number 6 from 1832 to 1848, where he wrote part of Les Misérables. The apartment is now the Maison de Victor Hugo, a free museum with rooms reflecting the different stages of his life, including a Chinese salon that he decorated himself and the furniture that he made in exile. Art galleries, antique dealers and restaurants and tea rooms operate under the arcades, and the popular café Carette serves pastries.

The Place des Vosges lies in the Marais, the district that was the home of the French aristocracy before Versailles, and its streets are full of historic mansions, including the Musée Carnavalet and the Musée Picasso, and shops, synagogues and cafés. The Bastille and the Seine are a short walk away.

The square is free and open all day. It suits walkers, picnickers and anyone who loves classical architecture. On a sunny day, the lawns fill with people, and the arcades give shelter in the rain.