Paris_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Lonely Planet [109]
7 Hôtel Carnavalet Walk north along rue Payenne. The building immediately on the right at No 2 is the back of the mid-16th-century, Renaissance-style Hôtel Carnavalet, built between 1548 and 1654 and home to the letter-writer Madame de Sévigné (1626–96).
8 Hôtel Le Peletier de St-Fargeau Further north is the Hôtel Le Peletier de St-Fargeau, which dates from the late 17th century. With the Hôtel Carnavalet, it now contains the Musée Carnavalet.
9 Chapelle de l’Humanité At 5 rue Payenne is a Chapelle de l’Humanité, a Revolutionary-era ‘Temple of Reason’; the quote on the façade reads: ‘Love as the principal, order as the base, progress as the goal’.
10 Hôtel Donon From the grille just past the Chapelle de l’Humanité, you can see the rear of Hôtel Donon at 8 rue Elzévir, built in 1598 and now the Musée Cognacq-Jay.
11 Hôtel de Marle At 11 rue Payenne is the lovely Hôtel de Marle, built in the late 16th century and now the Centre Culturel Suédois, the Swedish Cultural Institute, with a wonderful café.
12 Square George Cain Opposite Hôtel de Marle is a pretty green space called square George Cain, with the remains of what was once the Hôtel de Ville on the south wall. Have a look at the relief of Judgement Day and the one-handed clock on the tympanum (the façade beneath the roof) on the southern side.
13 Hôtel de Libéral Bruant From the square walk a short distance northwest to more spectacular 17th-century hôtels particuliers: Hôtel de Libéral Bruant at 1 rue de la Perle is now a gallery.
14 Hôtel Salé Northeast of Hôtel de Libéral Bruant is another prize example of a 17th-century hôtel particulier: Hôtel Salé at 5 rue de Thorigny, whose three floors and vaulted cellars house the wonderful Musée Picasso.
15 Rue du Parc Royal Retrace your steps to rue du Parc Royal. Heading east you’ll pass three wonderful hôtels: Hôtel de Croisille at No 12, Hôtel de Vigny at No 10 and pink-brick Hôtel Duret de Chevry at No 8, the loveliest of the trio. All of these date from about 1620 and now do civic duty as archives and historical libraries.
16 Place des Vosges Walk south down rue de Sévigné and then follow rue des Francs Bourgeois eastwards to the sublime place des Vosges, which has four symmetrical fountains and an 1829 copy of a mounted statue of Louis XIII, originally placed here in 1639. In the southeastern corner at No 6 is Hôtel de Rohan-Guéménée, home to Victor Hugo for 16 years in the first half of the 19th century and now the Maison de Victor Hugo.
17 Hôtel de Sully In the southwestern corner of place des Vosges is the back entrance to Hôtel de Sully, a restored aristocratic mansion at 62 rue St-Antoine built in 1624. Behind the hôtel are two beautifully decorated late Renaissance-style courtyards, both of which are festooned with allegorical reliefs of the seasons and the elements. In the northern courtyard look to the southern side for spring (flowers and a bird in hand) and summer (wheat); in the southern courtyard turn to the northern side for autumn (grapes) and winter, with a symbol representing both the end of the year and the end of life. On the western side of the second courtyard are ‘air’ on the left and ‘fire’ on the right. On the eastern side look for ‘earth’ on the left and ‘water’ on the right.
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LATIN QUARTER LITERARY LOOP
Writers have found their way to Paris ever since that 16th-century hedonist François Rabelais forsook his monastic vows and hightailed it to the capital. The 1920s saw the greatest influx of outsiders, particularly Americans. Many assume it was Paris’ reputation for liberal thought and relaxed morals