Discover the second royal square of Paris

The beautiful spring days in Paris mean walks and discovering the hidden gems (or not) of the capital ! Let's go to the first arrondissement, to walk the cobblestones of the Place Dauphine.

It was named after the Dauphin (the future Louis XIII) of King Henri IV, who asked for its construction. At the time (early 17th century), the Place des Vosges - then called the Place Royale - impressed the whole of Paris. The sovereign therefore ordered a new royal square to be built on the Ile de la Cité. It took the shape of the western part of the island : a triangle. 

The king imposed several criteria : for example, the houses had to be made of brick and stone with the same symmetry, with a ground floor in the form of solid arcades and a slate roof. Numerous architectural changes took place over the following centuries, notably the drilling of an arcade in the buildings on the east side of the square, which now gives a glimpse of the nearby Palais de Justice de Paris.

Today, if only a few houses with the original facade can be found (mainly on the Pont Neuf side), the Place Dauphine offers a real haven of peace in the heart of the capital. Parisians and tourists enjoy the terraces of the restaurants and bars that surround it, or play petanque in its centre in the shade of the red-flowered chestnut trees that give it such charm. Take the time to admire the architecture around you, to appreciate the peace and quiet the place offers... It is perhaps a mixture of all this Parisian atmosphere that seduced Simone Signoret and Yves Montand, who decided to settle at number 15 of the square in their time. 

Practicalities :
Metro Cité (line 4), Pont Neuf (line 7), Saint-Michel Notre-Dame (RER B&C)
 

Photos Amandine Goetz