In the neighbourhood - Galerie Vivienne
October 26th 2007 19:14
Some of the most beautiful but most often over-looked gems of Paris are its Passages and Galeries. These small, elegant arcades which date back to the beginning of the 19th century, were inspired by the Arab Souks, or covered markets, of the Middle East and North Africa. This is reflected in not only architecture with its arches, rounded windows, domes and Egyption motifs, but also in their original function which enabled shopkeepers to display their wares, shoppers (especially women) to browse and buy and pedestrians to pass from one area to another, under cover from the weather and away from the clamour and dirt of the streets.
Most of the most interesting Passages and Galeries are located on the Rive Droite, or Right Bank, in the Premier Arrondissement. But the best one of all is in the centre of a square bounded by the landmarks, Palais Royal, La Bourse, La Place des Victoires and La Bibliotheque Nationale. .
Galerie Vivienne, which runs between Rue Vivienne, Rue des Petits Peres and Rue des Petits Champs, was the brainchild of Marchaux, then Deputy of La Chambre des Notoires. It was begun in 1823 and opened to the Public in 1826. With its beautiful mosaic floors, its wrought iron staircases, its glass rotundas and its exotic, Arabian decoration, not to mention the sophisticated boutiques, bookshops, salons de the and cafés, it was a favourite Parisian haunt until the end of the Second Empire.
Today, Galerie Vivienne is home to a number of interesting modern boutiques but still has those authentic, "old Paris" shops which sell letter paper, etchings, pictures, as well as the fascinating and impossible to leave, bouquiniste, Librairie Jousseaume. There are still elegant cafes and salons de the, like A Priori, where the chocolat chaud and the cheesecake are legendary.
The Passages and Galeries are step back in time, away from the glaring, blaring, fast-paced Paris of the 21st century, to another age, of quiet charm, gracious style and elaborate decoration, for its own sake, to another, older Paris.
Galerie Vivienne, Paris
Most of the most interesting Passages and Galeries are located on the Rive Droite, or Right Bank, in the Premier Arrondissement. But the best one of all is in the centre of a square bounded by the landmarks, Palais Royal, La Bourse, La Place des Victoires and La Bibliotheque Nationale. .
Galerie Vivienne, which runs between Rue Vivienne, Rue des Petits Peres and Rue des Petits Champs, was the brainchild of Marchaux, then Deputy of La Chambre des Notoires. It was begun in 1823 and opened to the Public in 1826. With its beautiful mosaic floors, its wrought iron staircases, its glass rotundas and its exotic, Arabian decoration, not to mention the sophisticated boutiques, bookshops, salons de the and cafés, it was a favourite Parisian haunt until the end of the Second Empire.
Bouquiniste, Galerie Vivienne
Today, Galerie Vivienne is home to a number of interesting modern boutiques but still has those authentic, "old Paris" shops which sell letter paper, etchings, pictures, as well as the fascinating and impossible to leave, bouquiniste, Librairie Jousseaume. There are still elegant cafes and salons de the, like A Priori, where the chocolat chaud and the cheesecake are legendary.
The Passages and Galeries are step back in time, away from the glaring, blaring, fast-paced Paris of the 21st century, to another age, of quiet charm, gracious style and elaborate decoration, for its own sake, to another, older Paris.
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