In the center of Paris is a charming area called the Marais. After the big sights such as the Eiffel Tower, it is one of the most popular area visited by tourists due to it's narrow streets, old buildings and variety of shops, boutiques and bars. However, even despite the tourism, it has managed to fight off the forces of commercialism and is still a favorite area of the Parisiens.

The word Marais means 'swamp' in French, and indeed originally the Marais area was a swamp. In the tenth century, while the city only occupied the islands on the Seine, the swamp was drained and reclaimed to extend the borders. However, it was another four hundred years before the area began to truly flourish when grand buildings such as the royal hotel des Tournelles and the hotel Saint-Pol were built (hotel in this sense doesn't mean guests and mini-bars, but grand buildings built by the aristocracy). For another two hundred years the Marais continued to be an area of grandeur with beautiful areas such as the place des Vosges.

This period was not to last forever, and by the 18th century the Marais was neglected. The area had become a slum and a jewish ghetto, spurned by the rest of the city. However, the poor state of the Marais was ultimately to become it's savior, when at the end of the 19th century Baron Haussmann started one of the greatest urban reconstruction projects ever seen in the world. Ironically it was not the reconstruction that created the Marais as we see today, but the lack of it in that area. Haussmann felt that the Marais wasn't worthy of reconstruction, and the slum was left untouched while the rest of Paris was transformed with broad boulevards and grand buildings. As the rest of Paris flourished in grandeur, eyes gradually turned to the Marais as prime real estate. Fortunately, a man called Le Corbusier recognized the beauty of the ancient buildings, and decrees were made to prevent the demolition of the Marais and other old areas of the city.

It took a long time for the Marais to truly reach it's present beauty. Even mid-20th century areas such as the Place des Vosges had a grim and neglected appearance. However, after the war and protected even further in the 1960's by French law, the Marais has become a highly desired area. The buildings are now clean and well kept, magnificently glorious in all their ancient splendor.