The second arrondissement of Paris

There are numerous fast food restaurants offering repid service to a clientel in a hurry, textile workers and financial analists. It is a very dynamic quarter of Paris... ! In the Sentier quarter, one can hear the sound of the sewing machines in the boutiques of rue Réaumur and the streets around.

The 2nd arrondissement shares with the 9th the night life of the centre of Paris, with its many theatres and restaurants along the Boulevard des Italiens, and the Boulevards Montmartre, Poissonière et Bonne Nouvelle.

Historically, the 2nd arrondissement is one of the oldest parts of Paris, with notably the charming quarter Montorgueil and its tracery of lanes and pedestrian streets.

Quartier du Sentier

The area known as the Quartier du Sentier is centre of the garment manufacturing trade. A large part of the French fashion industry is sewn here. The little streets around rue Sentier are full of fashion wholesalers.

In recent years a number of Internet start-ups have concentrated here giving the area the nickname of Silicon Sentier.

La Bourse (Stock Exchange), rue Vivienne

The French Stock Exchange was created at the beginning of the 19th century by Napoléon. In 1826 it moved to its present site in the Brongniart Palace. A public gallery enables visitors to see the trading in progress.

With the arrival of numerous banks between the Boulevard des Italiens and the Rue de Rivoli, the quarter has become the financial centre of Paris.

Quartier Montorgueil

This is a very animated area where the residents of neighbouring quarters come to the market. The area has been semi-pedestrianised.

There are several early 19th C glassed-in shopping galleries which provided good light and protected the pedestrians from bad weather.

Passage du Grand-Cerf, 145 rue Saint-Denis

Built in 1835, this glass domed shopping gallery is a listed buiding, having in part been recently restored.

Tower of Jean sans Peur, 20 rue Etienne Marcel

One of the rare vestiges of the Hundred Years War and of medieval military architecture in Paris.The tower of Jean-sans-Peur was built in 1409. The Duke of Burgandy, Jean sans Peur (John the Fearless) disputed royal power with Louis d'Orléans (brother of King Charles VI) and had him assasinated 1407, provoking a civil war between the Armagnacs and the Burgundians.

He fortified his residence as protection against reprisals. (He was eventually assasinated in 1419).

To reach the top of the tower there are 140 steps.

Centre Pompidou

The Pompidou Centre houses the National Museum of Modern Art which retraces the history of art up to the 20thC. It is one of the largest galleries of modern art in the world with 54000 works of nearly 5000 artists.

This cultural centre was the initiative of President Pompidou. Finished in 1977, it was designed by architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers. Its unusual design moves the technical tubing to the exterior of the building allowing an unencombered interior of 7500 m2.

Bibliothèque nationale Richelieu, 58, rue de Richelieu

The historic Richelieu National Library is where the collections were kept before being transferred to the François Mitterrand library.

Today the Richelieu Library houses the precious collections : manuscripts (western and oriental), coins, medals and antiques, maps and plans.

In the salon of honour, the plaster bust of Voltaire contains the heart of the philosopher.

Passage de Choiseul

This is one of the most famous covered passages of Paris which was one of the most lively in the 19th century. Situated at 40 rue des Petits-Champs, it benefitted both from the activity of the grand boulevards and the effervescence of the quarter essentially frequented by businessmen and bankers.

Built by the Mallet bank which bought 4 large bourgois private residences to demolosh them, it was opened to the public in 1825. Even if the actvity of the passage is much less today, there are still several fashion boutiques and the perfect state of preservation make it a pleasant place to stroll.

Saint Eustache Church, Paris, France

The church was built from 1532 to 1637 and conserves its Gothic outlines in spite of its Renaissance decoration and the Classic facade added in the 18th century. St Eustache was a 2nd C Roman martyr who is today the patron saint of hunters.

The buiding was the Temple of Agriculture during the Revolution and returned to being a church in 1803. Partially burnt in 1840, it was restored by Victor Baltard, the architect responsible for many of the town market places (les Halles) in France.

Statue de Louis XIV Place des Victoires

Louis XIV ordered the construction of the statue to celebrate the peace treaty of Nimègue (1678). It portrayed him standing, crowned by Victory, on a pedestal 7 metres high decorated with bas reliefs representing the recent victories of the king.

It was melted down to make cannons in 1792. The existing statue of Louis XIV on horseback was built in 1822.

Galerie Vivienne

This is one of the most attractive covered passages of Paris.

The gallery was a popular short cut enabling people to avoid the crowds of the rue Vivienne and rue Petits-Champs.

Opéra Comique, Place Boieldieu

There are several Operas in Paris. The Opéra Comique, also known as the Salle Favart, puts on lyrical works but also plays without music.

Its repertoire extends from baroque music to modern music.

Galerie Colbert

The Colbert covered gallery is the main rival to the Vivienne Gallery.

Built in 1826, its architectural design makes it one of the most beautiful galleries of Paris with its boutiques under the glassed arches and large rotonde 15 metres in diameter.

It is today the home of the National Institute of the History of Art.

Boulevard Poissonnière

A place of entertainment with its numerous theatres and cafés as well as one of the oldest and most famous cinemas of Paris : the"Grand Rex", at n° 24, built in 1861.

Rue de Richelieu

Dating from 1634, the rue Richelieu is known for its theatres, its publishing houses, and for its numerous famous inhabitants : Richelieu, Mazarin, Colbert, Diderot, Stendhal, Balzac, Pierre Crozat, Molière.

At n°8 are the old stables of Richelieu, at n°39 the house where Diderot lived, at n°40 the house where Molière died and at n°61 Stendhal's house.