Place Dauphine
Encyclopedia
The Place Dauphine is a public square located near the western end of the Île de la Cité
in the first arrondissement of Paris
. From the "square", actually triangular in shape, one can access the middle of the ancient bridge called the Pont Neuf
. The bridge connects the left and right banks of the Seine
by passing over the Île de la Cité. A street called, since 1948, Rue Henri-Robert, forty metres long, connects the Place Dauphine and the bridge. Where they meet, there are two other named places, the Place du Pont Neuf and the Square du Vert Galent.
The Place Dauphine was constructed on the site of three riverine islets, scarcely more than mudbanks at the time. During the 17th century, this location represented the second place in Paris, after the Place des Vosges
, where the French royal court established a permanent seat.
The Place Dauphine, laid out in 1609 while the Place des Vosges
was still under construction, was named for the Dauphin of France, the future Louis XIII
. It was among the earliest city-planning projects of Henri IV.
The Place Dauphine space, originally a rectangle with two canted ends, was conveyed to Achille du Harlay with instruction to construct thirty-two houses adhering to a single plan. They built a kind of quadrangle with a gateway centered on the "downstream" (western) end, formed by paired pavilions
facing the equestrian statue of Henri IV on the far side of the Pont Neuf
. The houses are built of brick with limestone quoins, and they have arcaded ground-floors capped by steep slate roofs with dormers, very like the contemporaneous facades at the Place des Vosges
.
Few visitors actually penetrate the Place Dauphine, which lies behind the gates, where all of the surrounding buildings have been raised in height, given new facades, rebuilt, or replaced with imitations of the originals. The former east-side enclosure was swept aside, in the eighteenth century, to open the view toward the monumental white-marble Second-Empire Palais de Justice
(built from 1857 to 1868).
It is served by lines 4 and 7.
Île de la Cité
The Île de la Cité is one of two remaining natural islands in the Seine within the city of Paris . It is the centre of Paris and the location where the medieval city was refounded....
in the first arrondissement of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. From the "square", actually triangular in shape, one can access the middle of the ancient bridge called the Pont Neuf
Pont Neuf
The Pont Neuf is, despite its name, the oldest standing bridge across the river Seine in Paris, France. Its name, which was given to distinguish it from older bridges that were lined on both sides with houses, has remained....
. The bridge connects the left and right banks of the Seine
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
by passing over the Île de la Cité. A street called, since 1948, Rue Henri-Robert, forty metres long, connects the Place Dauphine and the bridge. Where they meet, there are two other named places, the Place du Pont Neuf and the Square du Vert Galent.
The Place Dauphine was constructed on the site of three riverine islets, scarcely more than mudbanks at the time. During the 17th century, this location represented the second place in Paris, after the Place des Vosges
Place des Vosges
The Place des Vosges is the oldest planned square in Paris.It is located in the Marais district, and it straddles the dividing-line between the 3rd and 4th arrondissements of Paris.- History :...
, where the French royal court established a permanent seat.
The Place Dauphine, laid out in 1609 while the Place des Vosges
Place des Vosges
The Place des Vosges is the oldest planned square in Paris.It is located in the Marais district, and it straddles the dividing-line between the 3rd and 4th arrondissements of Paris.- History :...
was still under construction, was named for the Dauphin of France, the future Louis XIII
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1610 to 1643.Louis was only eight years old when he succeeded his father. His mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent during Louis' minority...
. It was among the earliest city-planning projects of Henri IV.
The Place Dauphine space, originally a rectangle with two canted ends, was conveyed to Achille du Harlay with instruction to construct thirty-two houses adhering to a single plan. They built a kind of quadrangle with a gateway centered on the "downstream" (western) end, formed by paired pavilions
Pavilion (structure)
In architecture a pavilion has two main meanings.-Free-standing structure:Pavilion may refer to a free-standing structure sited a short distance from a main residence, whose architecture makes it an object of pleasure. Large or small, there is usually a connection with relaxation and pleasure in...
facing the equestrian statue of Henri IV on the far side of the Pont Neuf
Pont Neuf
The Pont Neuf is, despite its name, the oldest standing bridge across the river Seine in Paris, France. Its name, which was given to distinguish it from older bridges that were lined on both sides with houses, has remained....
. The houses are built of brick with limestone quoins, and they have arcaded ground-floors capped by steep slate roofs with dormers, very like the contemporaneous facades at the Place des Vosges
Place des Vosges
The Place des Vosges is the oldest planned square in Paris.It is located in the Marais district, and it straddles the dividing-line between the 3rd and 4th arrondissements of Paris.- History :...
.
Few visitors actually penetrate the Place Dauphine, which lies behind the gates, where all of the surrounding buildings have been raised in height, given new facades, rebuilt, or replaced with imitations of the originals. The former east-side enclosure was swept aside, in the eighteenth century, to open the view toward the monumental white-marble Second-Empire Palais de Justice
Palais de Justice, Paris
The Palais de Justice , located in the Île de la Cité in central Paris, France, is built on the site of the former royal palace of Saint Louis, of which the Sainte Chapelle remains. Thus the justice of the state has been dispensed at this site since medieval times...
(built from 1857 to 1868).
Metro station
The Place Dauphine is:It is served by lines 4 and 7.