Place des Vosges, Historic square in Le Marais, France
Place des Vosges is a historic square in the Marais district, spanning the third and fourth arrondissements of Paris. The enclosed layout features a central garden surrounded by residential buildings with red brick facades and pale stone trim, all connected by continuous ground-floor arcades.
Henry IV commissioned the square in 1605 as the first planned royal plaza in France, with construction ending in 1612. After the Revolution, it received its current name in honor of the Vosges department.
The square takes its name from the Vosges department, which was the first to pay its taxes to the Republic during the French Revolution. Today, small galleries and antique dealers occupy the arcades, lending the place a quiet, unhurried character that locals appreciate for afternoon walks.
The garden opens from sunrise to sunset and sits between the Saint-Paul and Chemin Vert metro stations. On weekends, families and walkers from nearby neighborhoods fill the lawn, so the arcades offer a quieter option for strolling.
The arcades at ground level offer shade on hot days, while the rows of benches in the garden fill quickly at lunchtime. The four corner pavilions stand slightly taller than the surrounding houses, breaking the otherwise uniform roofline.
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