The Marais (Le MaraisFrench:[ləmaʁɛ]ⓘ; "the marsh") is a historic district inParis,France. It spreads across parts of the3rd and4tharrondissements on theRive Droite, or Right Bank, of theSeine. Having once been an aristocratic district, it is home to many buildings of historic and architectural importance. It lost its status as a fashionable district in the late 18th century, with only minor nobles calling the area home. After theFrench Revolution, the district fell into disrepair and was abandoned by nobility. After a long period of decay, the district has undergone transformation in recent years and is now once again amongst the more fashionable areas of Paris,[1] known for its art galleries, upscale restaurants and museums.
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In 1240, theKnights Templar built a fortified church just outside the walls of Paris, in the northern part of the Marais. Later on, TheTemple (also known as the Temple Quarter) had many religious institutions built nearby. These include: theconvents des Blancs-Manteaux, de Sainte-Croix-de-la-Bretonnerie and des Carmes-Billettes, as well as the church ofSainte-Catherine-du-Val-des-Écoliers [fr].
During the mid-13th century,Charles I of Anjou, King of Naples and Sicily, and brother of KingLouis IX of France built his residence near the current n°7 rue de Sévigné.[2] In 1361, KingCharles V built a mansion known as theHôtel Saint-Pol, in which theRoyal Court settled during his reign (as well as his son's).
From that time to the 17th century and especially after the Royal Square (Place Royale, currentplace des Vosges) was designed under KingHenri IV of France in 1605, the Marais was the favoured place of residence of the French nobility. Among the many urban mansions—hôtels particuliers, in French—they built there were theHôtel de Sens, theHôtel de Sully, theHôtel de Beauvais, theHôtel Carnavalet, theHôtel de Guénégaud and theHôtel de Soubise.
During the late 18th century, the district was no longer considered the most fashionable district by the nobility, yet it still kept its reputation of being an aristocratic area. By that time, only minor nobles and a few higher ranking nobles, such as thePrince de Soubise, lived there. ThePlace des Vosges remained a place for nobles to meet. The district fell into disrepair after theFrench Revolution and was then abandoned by the nobility completely. It was to remain unfashionable until the late 20th century.
After the French Revolution, the district was no longer the aristocratic district it had been during the 17th and 18th centuries. Because of this, the district became a popular and active commercial area, hosting one of Paris' main Jewish communities. At the end of the 19th century and during the first half of the 20th, the district around therue des Rosiers, referred to as the "Pletzl", welcomed many Eastern European Jews (Ashkenazi) who reinforced the district's clothing specialization. During World War II the Jewish community was targeted by theNazis who were occupying France. As of today, the rue des Rosiers remains a major center of the Paris Jewish community, which has made a comeback since the 1990s. Public notices announce Jewish events, bookshops specialize in Jewish books, and numerous restaurants and other outlets sellkosher food.[citation needed]
Thesynagogue on 10 rue Pavée is adjacent to the rue des Rosiers.[3] It was designed in 1913 by Art Nouveau architectHector Guimard, who designed manyParis Metro stations.[citation needed] The Marais houses theMuseum of Jewish Art and History, the largest French museum of Jewish art and history. The museum conveys the extensive history and culture of Jews in Europe and North Africa from the Middle Ages to the 20th century.[4][5]
Cnaan Lipshiz ofTimes of Israel wrote that in previous eras the district was "the beating heart of French Jewry".[6]
In 1982, Palestinian extremists murdered six people and injured 22 at a Jewish restaurant in the Marais,Chez Jo Goldenberg, an attack which evidenced ties to theAbu Nidal Organization.[7][8][9]
By 2019 much Jewish business activity left The Marais, and it had fewer Jewish residents.[6]
By the 1950s, the district had become a working-class area and most of its architectural masterpieces were in a state of neglect. In 1964, General de Gaulle's Culture Minister,Andre Malraux, made the Marais the firstsecteur sauvegardé (literally translated assafeguarded sector). That was meant to protect and conserve places deemed to be of special cultural significance. In the following decades, the government and the city led an active restoration andRehabilitation Policy.[citation needed]
The mainhôtels particuliers have since been restored and turned into museums: theHôtel Salé hosts the Picasso Museum, theHôtel Carnavalet the Paris Historical Museum, the Hôtel Donon theCognacq-Jay Museum, and theHôtel de Saint-Aignan hosts theMusée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme. The site of Beaubourg, the western part of Marais, was chosen for theCentre Georges Pompidou, France's national Museum of Modern Art, which is widely considered one of the world's most important cultural institutions. The building was completed in 1977 with advanced modern architectural features byRenzo Piano andRichard Rogers.[citation needed]
The Marais is now one of Paris' most frequented localities for art galleries. Following its restoration, the Marais has now become a popular and culture-defining district, home to many upscale restaurants, museums, fashion houses, and galleries.
The Marais is also known for its Chinese community, which first formed duringWorld War I. At that time, France needed workers on the home front to perform the duties previously filled by men who were now soldiers on the front lines. China sent a few thousand of its citizens, on the condition that they would not actually take part in the war. Following the 1918 Allied victory, some of them stayed in Paris, living around the current rue au Maire. Today, most work in jewellery and leather-related products. The Marais' Chinese community has mainly settled in the north of the district, particularly in the vicinity ofPlace de la République. Next to it, on the Rue du Temple, is the Chinese Church of Paris.[citation needed]
Other features of the neighborhood include theMusée Picasso, the house ofNicolas Flamel, theMusée Cognacq-Jay, and theMusée Carnavalet.
The Marais became a center ofLGBT culture, beginning in the 1980s.[citation needed] Florence Tamagne, author of "Paris: 'Resting on its Laurels'?", wrote that the Marais "is less a 'village' where one lives and works than an entrance to a pleasure area" and that this differentiates it from Anglo-Americangay villages.[10] Tamagne added that like US gay villages, the Marais has "an emphasis on 'commercialism, gay pride and coming-out of the closet'".[10]Le Dépôt, one of the largest cruising bars in Europe as of 2014 (per Tamagne), is in the Marais area.[10]
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