Paris by the Numbers – 5th

My Paris by the Numbers series continues this week with the 5th arrondissement, one of the most popular neighborhoods in the city. As I mentioned in the previous posts, there are 20 arrondissements in Paris and I’m covering each and every one over the next few months. The landmarks I have chosen in each neighborhood are the ones that appealed to us, so this won’t be an inclusive list of sites for each neighborhood.

As a side note, theTravelsketcher and I have been very fortunate to have visited Paris on many occasions. When we lived in Normandie, Paris was just two hours away by train, so we visited often and became familiar with this enchanting city.

The 5th arrondissement of Paris is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city and dates back thousands of years when the Romans occupied the area. Presently, it is the home of universities and posh high schools, and is also the home of the Latin Quarter, the Pantheon, Shakespeare & Co, Jardin des Plantes and Le Musée Curie. The Latin Quarter spreads into the 6th arrondissement, and was thusly named since students came here in the middle ages to learn Latin.

The Panthéon, built in the mid 1700s, is the burial sites of many of France’s famous figures, including Marie Curie, Voltaire, Rousseau and Victor Hugo, just to name a few. It was the tallest building in Paris until 1889 when La tour Eiffel was completed. Click here for visitor information.

Shakespeare & Co is a quintessential cosy, inviting book store. We visited on a weekday in February, 2023 and waited about 15 minutes to get in. (If you visit during peak tourist season, be sure to arrive early and expect to wait before entering). Once inside, we leisurely browsed without being crowded, rushed or hurried. You can request an official Shakespeare & Co stamp to be placed in any of the books you purchase.

American George Whitman opened the store in 1951 and offered free rooms to writers and artists, who were required to work in the shop in exchange for a place to sleep. He owned and operated the store until his death in 2011 when his daughter, Sylvia, took over the day to day operations. The store has an interesting history which is described in full in a wonderful book titled Time Was Soft There by Jeremy Mercer. I highly recommend this wonderful book.

Another equally lovely, English language bookshop in the 5th is The Abby Bookshop run by Canadian Brian Spence. Opened in 1989, this tight squeeze of a shop is lined floor to ceiling with books of all genres. We spent several hours here and could have easily lingered longer.

If you’re like me, you’ll be ready to spend some time outside after lingering in bookshops, so head to Jardin des Plantes. Dating back to the 17th century, this garden was originally established for medicinal purposes. It has expanded greatly over the centuries, and now includes museums, gardens, a zoo, galleries and greenhouses. There is a labyrinth in the garden that leads to a gazebo perched on the highest point in the park. The gazebo was built between 1786 – 1788, making it one of the oldest metal structures in the world.

Le Musée Curie was of particular interest to me since I spent 35 years working in cancer research, and the Curie Foundation was France’s first cancer treatment center. As you may know, Marie Curie was a chemist and physicist who was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize; and then was awarded a second one in a separate field. She and her husband, Pierre Curie, worked closely with Dr. Claudius Regaud to open a hospital to treat cancer patients, which they achieved in 1921.

As you work your way through this small museum, you’ll learn much about the history of radiation experimentation and its eventual use for cancer research. Wilhelm Röntgen’s discovery of X-Rays in 1895 lead to the use of radiation in cancer treatment by 1920, with successful outcomes occurring by 1925.

On our visit last month to Paris, we attended a concert at Saint-Ephrem Church of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons performed by a string quartet. Built in 1733, this small, Corinthian style church holds frequent classical music concerts. We were able to purchase tickets at the door just a few minutes before the concert started.

The 5th is filled with narrow, cobbled streets, interesting buildings and monuments that will delight you at every turn.

This wraps up the 5th arrondissement; only 15 more to go! What do you think of this corner of Paris? As always, I would love to hear from you, so feel free to leave a comment.

Wishing you grand adventures,

Tricia