Les Halles - History

History

Les Halles was the traditional central market of Paris. In 1183, King Philippe II Auguste enlarged the marketplace in Paris and built a shelter for the merchants, who came from all over to sell their wares. In the 1850s, the massive glass and iron buildings (Victor Baltard Architect) Les Halles became known for, were constructed. Les Halles was known as the "Belly of Paris", as it was coined by Émile Zola in his novel, Le Ventre de Paris which is depicting and set in the busy marketplace of the 19th century.

Unable to compete in the new market economy and in need of massive repairs, the colorful ambience once associated with the bustling area of merchant stalls disappeared in 1971, when Les Halles was dismantled; the wholesale market was relocated to the suburb of Rungis.

The site was to become the point of convergence of the RER, a network of new express underground lines which was completed in the 1960s. Three lines leading out of the city to the south, east and west were to be extended and connected in a new underground station. For several years, the site of the markets was an enormous open pit, nicknamed "le trou des Halles" (trou = hole), regarded as an eyesore at the foot of the historic church of Saint-Eustache.

Construction was completed in 1977 on Châtelet-Les-Halles, Paris's new urban railway hub. The Forum des Halles, a partially underground multiple story commercial and shopping center, opened in 1979 and remains there today. The building was criticized for its design and in recent years the city of Paris has undertaken consultations regarding the remodeling of the area.

As of July 2012, the area at the foot of church of Saint-Eustache is once again upturned earth, broken concrete and temporary construction walls, as construction on a new public green space atop the shopping center is underway.