A Walk Around The 6th Arrondissement of Paris

The 6th arrondissement of Paris (VIe arrondissement) is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as sixième.

The arrondissement, called Luxembourg, is situated on the left bank of the River Seine. It includes world-famous educational institutions such as the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts and the Académie française, the seat of the French Senate as well as a concentration of some of Paris's most famous monuments such as Saint-Germain Abbey and square, St. Sulpice Church and square, the Pont des Arts, and the Jardin du Luxembourg.

This central arrondissement, which includes the historic districts of Saint-Germain-des-Prés (surrounding the Abbey founded in the 6th century) and Luxembourg (surrounding the Palace and its Gardens), has played a major role throughout Paris history and is well known for its café culture and the revolutionary intellectualism (see: existentialism, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir) and literature (see: Paul Éluard, Boris Vian, Albert Camus, Françoise Sagan) it has hosted.

With its world-famous cityscape, deeply rooted intellectual tradition, prestigious history, beautiful architecture, and central location, the arrondissement has long been home to French intelligentsia. It is a major locale for art galleries and fashion stores and one of the most fashionable districts of Paris as well as Paris' most expensive area. The arrondissement is one of France's richest district in terms of average income; it is part of Paris Ouest alongside the 7th, 8th, and 16th arrondissements, and Neuilly, but has a much more bohemian and intellectual reputation than the others.

The current 6th arrondissement, dominated by the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés—founded in the 6th century—was the heart of the Catholic Church's power in Paris for centuries, hosting many religious institutions.

In 1612, Queen Marie de Médicis bought an estate in the district and commissioned architect Salomon de Brosse to transform it into the outstanding Luxembourg Palace surrounded by extensive royal gardens. The new Palace turned the neighborhood into a fashionable district for French nobility.

Since the 1950s, the arrondissement, with its many higher education institutions, world-famous cafés (Café de Flore, Les Deux Magots, La Palette etc.) and publishing houses (Gallimard, Julliard, Grasset etc.) has been the home of much of the major post-war intellectual and literary movements and some of most influential in history such as surrealism, existentialism and modern feminism.

Видео A Walk Around The 6th Arrondissement of Paris канала Michael Jiroch