The 4th arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 arrondissements (administrative districts) of the capital city of France.

Situated on the Right Bank of the River Seine, it is bordered to the west by the 1st arrondissement; to the north by the 3rd, to the east by the 11th and 12th, and to the south by the Seine and the 5th.

The 4th arrondissement contains the Renaissance-era Paris City Hall. It also contains the Renaissance square of Place des Vosges, the overtly modern Pompidou Centre and the southern lively part of the medieval district of Le Marais, which today is known for being the gay district of Paris (while the northern more quiet part of Le Marais is contained inside the 3rd arrondissement). The eastern parts of the Île de la Cité (including Notre-Dame de Paris) as well as the Île Saint-Louis are also included within the 4th arrondissement.

Geography

With a land area of 1.601 km² (0.618 sq.miles, or 396 acres), the 4th arrondissement is the third smallest arrondissement in the city.

Demographics

The peak of population of the 4th arrondissement actually occurred before 1861, though the arrondissement has existed in its current shape only since the re-organization of Paris in 1860. In 1999, the population was 30,675, while the arrondissement hosted 41,424 jobs.

Historical population

Year (of French censuses)	Population	Density (inh. per km²)
1861 (peak of population)¹	108,520	67,783
1872	95,003	59,377
1954	70,944	41,638
1962	61,670	38,520
1968	54,029	33,747
1975	40,466	25,275
1982	33,990	21,230
1990	32,226	20,129
1999	30,675	19,160
2005	28,600	17,864

¹The peak of population actually occurred before 1861, but the
arrondissement was created in 1860, so we do not have figures before 1861.

Immigration

History

The Île de la Cité has been inhabited since the 1st century BC, when it was occupied by the Parisii tribe of the Gauls. The Right Bank was first settled in the early Middle Ages(exactly: In the 5th century). Since the end of the 19th century, le Marais has been populated by a significant Jewish population, the Rue des Rosiers being at the heart of its community, with a handful of kosher restaurants. Since the 1990s, gay culture has made an impact on the arrondissement, opening a number of bars and cafés in the area by the town hall.

Map

Cityscape

Places of interest in the arrondissement

• Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville department store
• Berthillon
• Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal
• Centre Georges Pompidou
• Hôtel-Dieu hospital
• Hôtel de Sens
• Hôtel de Sully, on the site of a former orangery
• Hôtel de Ville
• Le Marais
• Rue des Rosiers
• Lycée Charlemagne
• Musée de l'Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris
• Musée Boleslas Biegas, Musée Adam Mickiewicz, and Salon Frédéric Chopin
• Musée de la Magie
• Notre-Dame de Paris
• Pavillon de l'Arsenal
• Prefecture of Police
• Saint-Jacques Tower
• St-Gervais-et-St-Protais Church
• Saint-Louis-en-l'Île Church
• Salle des Traditions de la Garde Républicaine
• Former Temple, fortress and later prison
• Temple du Marais

Main streets and squares

• Place de la Bastille (shared with the 11^th and 12^th arrondissements), including the July Column (Colonne de juillet)
• Place de l'Hôtel de Ville, formerly Place de Grève
• Rue de Rivoli (shared with the 1^st arrondissement)
• Place des Vosges (shared with the 3^rd arrondissement)

External links