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Quartier Latin Travel Guide

Left Bank 1978

Quartier Latin or the Latin Quarter is the warren of steep, sloping streets generally associated with Parisian artists, intellectuals, and bohemians. It has a reputation for having a small-town atmosphere and a hip and chic feel to it. Originally established by the Romans as the ancient city of Gallo-Roman Paris, the Latin Quarter has had a history of political unrest. In 1871, the Place St Michel in the quarter became the center of the Paris Commune, the uprising that developed after the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian war. In May 1968, it was also the site of the student uprisings that briefly engulfed the city.

The quarter is also home to La Sorbonne, which used to be the seat of the University of Paris until 1969. The Sorbonne was established in 1257 and grew into a famous center of learning in the Middle Ages. Lectures are still held on this original site even though the University of Paris has split into 13 separate universities since 1969.

The heart of the Latin Quarter is Boulevard St Michel, which is a lively mélange of cafés, bookshops, clothing stores, experimental film houses, and nightclubs. The quarter is also home to the National Museum of the Middle Ages, which is one of the greatest museums of medieval art in the world with its stunning collection of tapestries, medieval decorative arts, works of gold and ivory, antique furniture, illuminated manuscripts, and Gothic sculptures. Be sure to check out the Panthéon and the St Séverin Church as well. The former is a 18th century church that serves as the final resting place of some of France’s greatest citizens – Voltaire, Zola, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Pierre and Marie Curie, and Alexandre Dumas. The latter church is from the 13th century and showcases one of the best examples of the Flamboyant Gothic style of architecture. Also, if you are interested in Arab culture and art, the Institut du Monde Arabe and its glass-and-steel edifice houses a vast library and art museum on the same subject.

Attractions
Institut de Monde Arabe
Musée National du Moyen-Age
Panthéon
St Séverin
Sorbonne

Arrondissements
5th Arrondissement

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