Paris during the Regency: from the Terror to the Second Restoration (Part I: Early 18th century)

Cerise at Pont Alexandre, 2023

Paris of today is a gorgeous combination of creative civic planning, geography and historical eloquence. To visit is to imbibe the freshness of fine architecture mixed with the greenery so vital to a thriving city. To visit also imbues one with the devotion so many had to maintaining the necessities to keep millions of people fed, clothed, moving, working and living well. 

It was not always so.

The transformation of Paris from a medieval hub of civilization into a metropolis of beauty and renown occurred over centuries. Sometimes that happened in spurts; others over decades. Sometimes it happened with prudent planning; others by accident.

Major changes in the City began as Paris became the hub of economic activity during the reign of Louis XIV. That monarch who fought wars nearly incessantly also brought to Paris diplomats from other countries, cultural tastes that he dictated and decrees about the looks of buildings.

First, to understand the changes to come, we must look at the geography of Paris before the Revolution. Here is an excellent map of the city as it was in 1739. This map was commissioned by the chief of the municipality of Paris, Michel-Etienne Turgot and drawn by surveyor Louis Bretez.

Drawn with all buildings to scale, it presents the city toward the southeast. It has marvelous detail. Do enlarge this section to see that. You can see different types of housing and commerce. This map does not show all of the arrondissements, or departments of modern day Paris, as it corresponds roughly to the first 11 arrondissements of the City, not the current 18.

For more: See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turgot_map_of_Paris

Here is a small portion of the map which shows the Louvre as it was in 1739. (Kyoto University Library)

Do return as I continue this series addressing all of the following aspects of city growth and dynamics, including:

• Living Conditions
• Population: numbers and type
• Impact and relationship with Versailles
• Appearance of Old Paris: stone quarries, sanitation, La Peripherique, supply and demand
• The Seine: its impact, its problems 
• The caves, tunnels, sewers