3rd arrondissement of Paris

The 3rd 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 the second smallest in area after the 2nd arrondissement. The arrondissement contains the northern, quieter part of the medieval district of Le Marais (while the 4th arrondissement contains Le Marais' more lively southern part, notably including the gay district of Paris). The oldest surviving private house of Paris, built in 1407, is to be found in the 3rd arrondissement, in the rue de Montmorency.

A small but rapidly expanding Chinatown inhabited by immigrants from Wenzhou, Mainland China, centers on the rue au Maire, near the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers housed in the medieval priory of Saint-Martin-des-Champs.

Geography

With a land area of 1.171 km² (0.452 sq.miles, or 289 acres), the 3rd arrondissement is the second smallest arrondissement in the city.

Demography

The area now occupied by the first arrondissement attained its peak population in the period preceding the re-organization of Paris in 1860. In 1999, the population was 34,248, while the arrondissement hosted a total of 29,723 jobs.

Historical population

Year (of French censuses)	Population	Density (inh. per km²)
1861 (peak of population)¹	99,116	84,642
1872	89,687	76,656
1954	65,312	55,822
1962	62,680	53,527
1968	56,252	48,038
1975	41,706	35,616
1982	36,094	30,823
1990	35,102	29,976
1999	34,248	29,247
2005	35,100	29,974

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

Immigration

Map

Places of interest

• Le Marais (shared with the 4th arrondissement)
• Carnavalet Museum
• Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers - main campus
• Institut Tessin
• Musée des Arts et Métiers
• Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature
• Musée Cognacq-Jay
• Musée de l'Histoire de France
• Musée de la Poupée
• Musée de la Serrure
• Hôtel de Soubise
• Former Temple fortress

External links