Dauphin Square

The Dauphin Square rightly bears the title of one of the pearls of the architectural ensemble of the capital of France. According to many prominent writers and thinkers of past centuries, the Dauphin Square was the most beautiful square of the city, but to this day it has not preserved its original appearance. Over the four centuries of its existence, the square was repeatedly rebuilt, and of the several dozen houses surrounding it, only two survived in their former form.

At the end of the XVI century, two small islets located west of the island were attached to the island of Cité. This happened during the construction of the New Bridge on the initiative of Henry III. His successor, Henry IV, seriously altered the original design and ordered the area adjacent to the bridge to be built. According to the plan of the monarch, the triangular square was to be surrounded by three-storey brick houses with arcades on the first floors, with facades decorated with white stone.

Construction proceeded quickly, and soon the inhabitants of Paris were able to enjoy the view of the new square. In the surrounding houses there were numerous shops, among which were many jewelers. Very quickly, the square became one of the busiest places in the city. Here gamblers, charlatans and girls of easy behavior were constantly hanging out, dentists worked. However, the main characters in the life of the square were Italian comedians. During almost the entire XVIII century, the Dauphin Square was a real center of artistic life in France, young artists exhibited their works here. Nowadays, everything looks different here - the noise has long subsided, and Parisians attract this place with romantic silence and peace.