Paris Île De La Cité And Île St-Louis

Marooned in the middle of the Seine and tethered to the mainland by arched bridges, Île de la Cité is situated at the physical center of Paris. The island hosted Paris's first ramshackle settlement in 300 BCE, and became the seat of the French monarchy in the 6th century CE when Clovis crowned himself king of the Franks; it remained a hotbed of French political power until Charles V abandoned it in favor of the Louvre in the 14th century. The stunning Notre Dame, as well as the Sainte-Chapelle and the Conciergerie, ensured that the island would remain a center of Parisian religious, political, and cultural life; unsurprisingly, it is now a major center of tourism. All distances in France are measured from kilomètre zéro, a circular sundial in front of Notre Dame.

As it often goes with twins, the neighboring Île St-Louis is less illustrious. Originally two small islands—Île aux Vâches (Cow Island) and Île de Notre Dame—Île St-Louis was considered a suitable location for duels, cows, and not much else throughout the Middle Ages. In 1267, the area was renamed for Louis IX after he departed for the Crusades. The two islands merged in the 17th century under the direction of architect Louis Le Vau, and Île St-Louis became a residential district. The island's hôtels particuliers (mansions, many of which were also designed by Le Vau) attracted a fair share of uppity citizenry including Voltaire, Mme. de Châtelet, Daumier, Ingres, Baudelaire, Balzac, Courbet, Sand, Delacroix, and Cézanne. In the 1930s, the idiosyncratic and artistic inhabitants declared the island an independent republic. The island retains a certain remoteness from the rest of Paris; older residents still say “Je vais à Paris” (I'm going to Paris) when they leave the neighborhood by one of the four bridges linking Île St-Louis and the mainland. All in all, the island looks remarkably similar to its 17th-century self, and retains both its history and genteel tranquility.

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