A walk through the unusual and historic Paris

A short walk in the center of Paris in the most touristic places of Paris to discover all the curiosities.

The walk is a classic route in the centre of Paris starting from the Châtelet-Les Halles station, it allows you to discover or rediscover the monuments of the capital from another angle. The focus here is on the bloody events (assassinations, murders, quartering...) that took place in these districts.

Interest:

good (1 user)

Difficulty:

Duration: 2 h.

Practical information

Practical information

Pylori

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Pylori — The pillory at Les Halles no longer exists and nothing remains of it. The pillory consisted of a wheel where the condemned man would pass his head and hands. The wheel could hold 6 people, and the Parisians threw fruit and garbage in their faces.

Assassination of Henry IV

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Assassination of Henry IV — Henri IV was assassinated in the rue de Ferronnerie on 14 May 1610. The street was much narrower at the time and the procession was forced to slow down. His assassin Ravaillac was quartered in the Place de Grève.

Church of Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois

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Church of Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois — On August 24, 1572, the day of St. Bartholomew's Day, the church bells began to ring, the signal for the beginning of the massacre of Protestants. All over Paris, anyone who did not shout "Long live the mass" and did not have a white cross was massacred.

Jacques de Molay

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Jacques de Molay — Jacques de Molay, Grand Master of the Templars, was burned alive at the tip of the Ile de la Cité on March 19, 1314. 54 other Templars were also burned for spitting on the cross or practicing "impure kisses.

Liberation of Paris - August 1944

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Liberation of Paris - August 1944 — During the Liberation, there was a lot of fighting near the Préfecture de Police, which was the centre of the insurrection. The walls still show traces of the shooting. The renovation of the last few years has partly hidden them.

Palais de Justice - Sainte-Chapelle

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Palais de Justice - Sainte-Chapelle — The Sainte-Chapelle is inside the Palais de Justice, it was built by Saint Louis to house relics, the most important being the crown of thorns of Christ. The relics are no longer present today. It is absolutely necessary to visit the Sainte-Chapelle which is one of the most beautiful monuments of Paris unfortunately the entry is a little expensive (10 euros).

Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral

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Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral — The cathedral has long been in ruins and neglected. Victor Hugo brought it up to date in his novel Notre-Dame de Paris with Quasimodo who dies of love for the beautiful Esmeralda. It was the architect Viollet-le-Duc who undertook the restoration in 1843.

Place de l'Hôtel de Ville, formerly Place de Grève

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Place de l'Hôtel de Ville, formerly Place de Grève — The Place de Gréve was the place of public executions. On the picture you can see the dismemberment of Damien on January 18, 1775. He had wounded King Louis XV with a penknife. His aim was to force the king to get closer to his people. The culprit had his hand burned and his flesh torn away. Molten lead was poured into the wounds, then he was quartered with four horses and his body was burned. His family was banished from France.

In the distance the Arts Bridge

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In the distance the Arts Bridge — The Pont des Arts is a pedestrian bridge where people come to picnic in summer. The practice of attaching padlocks to the railings and throwing away the key to show your love is now prohibited. The weight of the padlocks became too heavy for the bridge!

The Fountain of the Innocents

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The Fountain of the Innocents — The fountain of the Innocents is located in the place of the old cemetery of the Innocents (suppressed in 1870). The cemetery was surrounded by vaulted galleries, surmounted by mass graves where the bones removed from the common graves were piled up.

Departure point (Google Maps)

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