Odéon

The Odéon neighbourhood took its name from the famous Odéon theatre which is just nearby. At the beginning of the 18th century, Odéon was home to Hôtel des Princes de Bourbon. Around 1770, Prince Henri de Bourbon established his residence at Palais-Bourbon. Today, this palace is occupied by the National Assembly. This place used to belong to the Parisian 7th district. In 1773, the king decided to use part of it for his French actors. The latter were forced to leave their theatre in rue des Fossés-Saint-Germain-des-Prés, because it was about to collapse.

The theatre construction project was directed by two architects : Peyre and Wailly. It was completed in 1782 and inaugurated to house the troupe of the Théâtre-Français. Since September 1971, Odéon has been one of the 5 national theatres. In 1990, it was named Odéon-Théâtre de l’Europe. This theatre was built in an Italian style inside and in a neoclassical style outside.

• Musée de Luxembourg (19 rue de Vaugirard), which is installed in a wing perpendicular to the orangery of the Palais du Luxembourg.
• Saint Sulpice church (rue Palatine) was classified as a historical monument in 1915.
• Paris-Descartes Medical School and its Musée d’Histoire de la Médecine (History of Medicine Museum). This museum is one of a kind, as it brings together the oldest collections in Europe and many branches of surgical art. It is open to the general public.
• Fontaine de Médicis designed to bring water from the Rungis fountain to Luxembourg.

• Herboristerie d’Hippocrate (Hippocrates herbalist’s shop) on the road to Saint André des Arts ;
• Saint Julien Le Pauvre church ;
• Rue de la Huchette and its many bars and restaurants ;
• Rue du Chat qui pêche, one of the oldest and narrowest streets in Paris, dating from the 16th century.

• Jardin du Luxembourg: extending over more than a kilometre in Boulevard Saint-Michel and Boulevard Raspail, it is the second largest park in Paris.
• Square René Viviani