Sometimes, as you stroll through the streets of the capital, a strange detail may catch your eye. The outline of a ghostly tower, a stone wall that stands out, or a remnant of molding in an unexpected place. If so, you may well have stumbled across a vestige of the famous Philippe Auguste wall.
From the end of the 17th century, thePhilippe Auguste enceinte surrounded Paris. It is not only the second medieval enclosure known to historians, but also the oldest of those whose exact layout is known. Delimiting the limits of Paris at the time, it has left more remains than the 7 other known enclosures. If you're used to wandering the capital, you've probably passed some of them without knowing it!
So, where can the remains of thePhilippe Auguste enclosure be found? One of the most obvious is on Rue du Louvre, around numbers 11 to 13, in Paris's first arrondissement. Behind a gate, you can see the outline of a vanished tower. In the Marais district, the longest visible section of theenclosure can be seen in the Jardins-Saint-Paul sports ground. Some sixty meters long, this part of the wall is well preserved, and you can even see two towers. One is on Rue des Jardins-Saint-Paul, while the other, known as Montgomery's Tower, stands at the corner of Rue Charlemagne.
In the Rosiers-Joseph Migneret garden, not far from the famous rue des rosiers, the remains of a tower and its decoration can be seen. Another tower can also be seen at 55-57 rue des Francs-Bourgeois, in the courtyard of the Crédit Municipal de Paris. This is the Tour Pierre Alvart.
In the Latin Quarter, you can discover not only the remains of the ancient walls of Paris, but also their impact on the Parisian landscape. While well-preserved remains of thePhilippe Auguste wall can be seen between Rue Clovis nos. 1-5, some narrow buildings, built in place of or near the vanished wall, allow us to see its outlines. This is what you can see in front of n°7 bis du boulevard Saint-Germain or at n°16 de la Rue Thouin. You may also be surprised by the location of other remains, such as those in the Mazarine parking lot.
Dates and Opening Time
Starts April 8, 2021
