Latin Quarter (Quartier latin)

The Latin Quarter in Paris is the area around the Sorbonne, École Normale Supérieure, Paris II University and other universities in the French capital, which are located on the left bank of the Seine, on the slopes of Saint Genevieve Hill. The Latin Quarter is not one of the city’s 80 official administrative districts, but a historically student neighborhood in the 5th and 6th arrondissements of Paris.

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Video: Latin Quarter in Paris

Contents

Highlights

The Latin Quarter is considered one of the city’s highlights, the most fun, bohemian and interesting neighborhood in Paris. It is famous for its original buildings, narrow streets, parks, palaces, small cafes and bookstores. Several of the most visited tourist sites within the neighborhood are Thermae Cluny, the Luxembourg Gardens, and the Pantheon located atop the hill of Saint Genevieve.

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‘ The Seine (Rive Gauche) is not just a part of Paris for the French. It is associated with a creative and rebellious spirit. Since the Middle Ages, writers, artists and philosophers have settled here. The name “Latin Quarter” (Quartier latin) originated from the Latin that used to be studied by Sorbonne students. Later, following the Parisian model, in several European cities, the neighborhoods around universities were also called Latin neighborhoods. This happened, for example, in Barcelona and Cologne. Although Paris’s Latin Quarter is known as a student neighborhood, rents in the city have risen so much that few people attending universities can rent here.

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The eastern part of the neighborhood has an Arab face. Here are the larger Paris Mosque and the building of the Institute for the Arab World. And across from them spreads the grounds of the Botanical Gardens.

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Many travelers like to visit the narrow street of Muftar, in the south of the Latin Quarter. In ancient Roman times, this curved street connected Rome and Lutetia (the name of a settlement on the site of modern Paris). Today, a colorful food market selling fresh fruits and cheeses is held in the square near the Temple of Saint-Médard every day except Monday. Parisians and tourists flock to the Latin Quarter for this feast of flavor.

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‘ Streets of the Latin Quarterhttps://trevaladvisor.com/img%img/Latinskij-kvartalreterte/Ulitsy-Latinskogo-kvartala-8.jpg” alt=””/>‘
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Sorbonne and its environs

The heart of the Latin Quarter is historically considered the intellectual center of the country. Here, to the south of Rue École, are the famous Sorbonne University, the Lycée Louis the Great, and the teaching and research institution Collège de France.

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‘ The Sorbonne has the status of an architectural and historical monument, as well as a world-renowned center of science and free-thinking. If desired, tourists can stroll around the courtyard of the university and examine its enclosures. The history of the Sorbonne begins in the XII century. In the Middle Ages, it was the most famous educational institution in Europe. The name “Sorbonne” appeared in the mid-16th century and came from the name of the famous French theologian Robert de Sorbonne (1201-1274).

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The attention of all travelers is drawn to the ornate Baroque facade of the university church, more commonly referred to as the Sorbonne Chapel. This is the Chapel of St. Ursula, built in the 1640s, thanks to the efforts of Cardinal Richelieu. The symmetrical building is crowned with a dome, and the space below it is made in the form of a Greek cross. On all sides of the building is decorated with columned porticoes and pediments. Inside the chapel you can see the tomb where the powerful Cardinal Richelieu rests.

The traffic-free Sorbonne Square and Rue de l’École are connected by the colorful Rue Champollion. It is home to several movie theaters and the popular Café Le Refte in the Latin Quarter.

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‘ Collège de France.
‘ Lyceum of Louis the Great

To the east of the Sorbonne, behind the Rue Saint-Jacques, is the Collège de France, which offers scientific, literary, and artistic education to all. The institution was established during the reign of French King Francis I (1495-1547), and received its modern name in 1870. The college was created so that students from France could study ancient Greek subjects. The building it occupies is also considered a historical and architectural monument – it was built in 1780 by the famous French architect Jean-François Chalgrain.

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Behind the college stands the building of the Lycée Louis the Great (Louis-le-Grand), one of the oldest and most famous educational institutions in the country. Suffice it to say that Hugo, Molière, Sartre and Robespierre studied within its walls. Although the lyceum is similar to a secondary school in status, it is a stepping stone to the elite education at the Grande École Supérieure. The Lycée is known for its rigorous system of certification of graduates. Only one out of ten students fully copes with the curriculum.

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‘ Rue Mouffetard.
‘ Cinoteatr Le Champeau Cinema on Rue de Champollion

Panthéon and Luxembourg Gardens

‘ Pantheon. It is the burial place of many prominent citizens of France – Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Claude Louis Pétier, Alexandre Dumas (father), Victor Hugo, Émile Zola, the Curie couple and others. The Pantheon was built under French monarch Louis XV as the church of St. Genevieve (1789), and later revolutionaries turned it into a mausoleum.

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In 1851, a scientific experiment was conducted in the famous tomb that amazed not only many everyday people, but also scientists. Thanks to French physicist Leon Foucault and the pendulum he created, everyone was able to see that the Earth really does rotate. Crowds came to the Pantheon to see Foucault’s experience.

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For visitors, the mausoleum is open daily: from October to March from 10.00 to 18.00, from April to September from 10.00 to 18.30. There is a fee to enter.

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‘ Pantheon westward to the picturesque Luxembourg Gardens. The palace and park ensemble was laid out by Maria de’ Medici in the early 17th century. Nowadays, the former royal residence occupies 26 hectares, and the French Senate meets at the Luxembourg Palace.

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You can walk through the park on foot, on ponies or in vintage carriages. There is plenty of entertainment here all year round. Visitors like to launch small sailboats in the fountain, and listen to concerts that take place in the music pavilion. The park is home to the Guignol Miniature Theater and an antique children’s carousel. For lovers of outdoor games in the Luxembourg Gardens, there are courts for chess, bocce, and the ancestor of tennis – the game of jeux-de-pom.

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Rene Viviani Square

‘ Paris Greek Catholic Church of St. Julien-le-Pauvre.

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Many travelers come to the park to take a breather from the hustle and bustle of the city and take a closer look at the huge Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris, as the best view of Notre Dame de Paris is from the Rene Viviani Square.

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Another attraction can be seen here as well. The park is home to the oldest Parisian tree, the robinia or false acacia, which was brought to Paris from Guyana. The robinia was planted in 1601 by botanist Jean Robin. The powerful tree rises to a height of 11 meters and its crown and trunk are supported by two supports. The top of the Robinia was damaged during World War I, however, the tree still blooms annually.

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‘ View from the Square Rene Viviani on the Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris
‘ Robinia or false acacia
” Christmas Fair in the Rene Viviani Square
‘ The Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris, taken from the building during restoration in the 19th century. In different parts, the limestone balustrades, capitals and pinacles of the cathedral stand beneath sprawling plane trees. In the green area there is also a stele commemorating the Jewish children who did not survive deportation during World War II.

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To the northwest of the park, Rue de Bouchry is home to Shakespeare & Company, a bookstore popular with Parisians that sells literature in English.

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Eastern part of the Latin Quarter

‘ France, covering an area of 1 hectare. The mosque was built in 1926 in a colorful Moorish style in memory of the 100 thousand followers of Islam who fought on the side of France and laid down their heads during the First World War. The minaret of the mosque rises to a height of 33 meters and can be seen from afar. Tourists are allowed to enter the temple, except when there are services.

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Opposite the Paris Mosque on an area of 23.5 hectares is the Jardin des plantes de Paris, which is part of the National Museum of Natural History. The garden began to form in 1635 as a plantation of medicinal plants. In 1792, a menagerie was opened here, which became one of the first zoos in the world. Today, the zoo occupies about one-third of the entire green space and is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

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The Paris Botanical Gardens are very popular and are visited by many citizens and tourists all year round. There are more than 450 species of trees and shrubs, a luxurious rose garden and large greenhouses. The oldest tree was brought to Paris from the United States and planted in 1636.

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The grounds of the Jardin des Plantes in the Latin Quarter are open daily: in summer from 7.30 to 19.45 and in winter from 8.00 to 17.30. You can stroll through its alleys, as well as explore the alpine garden, botanical school and iris garden free of charge. You only have to pay for admission to the greenhouses and museums.

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‘ Garden of Plants in Paris

Museums

‘ The Sorbonne, at Place Paul Painlevé, 6, is home to the interesting Museum of the Middle Ages, often referred to as the ‘Thermae de Cluny’. The collection displayed here is one of the largest collections of art and everyday objects from the Middle Ages existing in the world.

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The site of the museum has an ancient history. Originally there were Roman thermae here. Their walls can be seen even today – in the garden of the museum. In the XIII century on the ruins of the thermae appeared the monastic order of the Cluny monastery. Time passed, and at the end of the XV century, the abbot of the monastery built a beautiful mansion, which in the 1840s turned into a national museum.

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During the tour, visitors are shown rare statues made of stone and wood, medieval tapestries of the Lady with the Unicorn, ancient coins, miniatures and tools, as well as fine ivory and colorful stained glass windows. The museum welcomes visitors any day except Tuesday, from 9:15 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. Twice a week, on Fridays and Sundays, it hosts wonderful concerts of medieval music.

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‘ Thermae Kluni Museum
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Another popular museum in the Latin Quarter is the National Museum of Natural History. It is located near the Botanical Garden (Jardin des Plantes), at 57 rue Cuvier. The museum occupies not just one building, but a complex of buildings and organizations including the Museum of Man, the Paleontological and Mineralogical Museums, the Vincennes Zoo and the Gallery of Evolution, as well as other museum collections and biostations in Paris and outside of France.

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‘ National Museum of Natural History in Paris
‘ Venskiy Zoo

Where to eat

Travelers come to the Latin Quarter of Paris to spend a pleasant time in small restaurants and cozy cafes. Especially a lot of such establishments on the square near the Sorbonne. True, the prices will be higher than in the neighboring areas of the French capital.

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‘ Street Cafes
” Popular fast food – gyros

How to get there

The Latin Quarter of Paris is spread out on the left bank of the Seine, within the 5th and 6th administrative quarters of the city. It is very convenient to get here by public transportation. From Charles de Gaulle Airport it takes 40 minutes by metro, and from Orly Airport it takes 30 minutes.

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The central part of the Latin Quarter is reached by metro – line 10, to Cluny-la-Sorbonne station. In addition, the left bank of the Seine can be reached on foot from the Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris. To do this, simply cross the river on any of the bridges.

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