The 3rd arrondissement of Paris (IIIe arrondissement, French pronunciation:[tʁwɑzjɛmaʁɔ̃dismɑ̃]) is one of the 20 arrondissements (districts) of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is colloquially referred to as "le troisième" (French pronunciation:[lətʁwɑzjɛm]) meaning "the third". Its postal code is 75003. It is governed locally together with the 1st, 2nd and 4th arrondissements, with which it forms the 1st sector of Paris, Paris Centre.
The arrondissement, sometimes known as Temple and situated on the right bank of the River Seine, is the smallest in area after the 2nd. It contains the quieter northern part of the medieval district of Le Marais, while the more lively southern part, notably including the gay district of Paris, is located within the 4th arrondissement.
History
The oldest surviving private house in Paris, built in 1407, is to be found in the 3rd arrondissement at 52 rue de Montmorency.[2]
The ancient Jewish quarter, the Pletzl (פלעצל, 'little place' in Yiddish), which dates from the 13th century, begins in the eastern part of the 3rd arrondissement and extends into the 4th. It is home to the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme ('Museum of Jewish Art and History') and the Agoudas Hakehilos synagogue designed by the architect Hector Guimard. Although fashionable boutiques now take up many of the storefronts, there are still landmark stores selling traditional Jewish foods.
With a land area of 1.2 km2[3] (0.452 square miles, or 289 acres), the 3rd arrondissement ranks second smallest in the city.
Location
It is situated in what is considered Central Paris on the right bank (rive droite) of the city. Its interior is mostly devoid of the large Haussmannian boulevards included in many other arrondissements throughout the city.
Neighborhoods (quartiers)
The arrondissement includes a range of neighborhoods or quartiers most of which date back to the Middle Ages. Most residents and locals refer to this area as Temple, Arts et Métiers or more generally, le Marais; however most of the Marais district is included in the 4th arrondissement, which it neighbors on its southern border.
Demographics
The area now occupied by the third 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
2009
35,655
30,474
2017
34,115
29,158
¹The peak of population actually occurred before 1861, but the arrondissement was created in 1860, so we do not have figures before 1861.
Immigration
Place of birth of residents of the 3rd arrondissement in 1999
1 This group is made up largely of former French settlers, such as pieds-noirs in Northwest Africa, followed by former colonial citizens who had French citizenship at birth (such as was often the case for the native elite in French colonies), as well as to a lesser extent foreign-born children of French expatriates. A foreign country is understood as a country not part of France in 1999, so a person born for example in 1950 in Algeria, when Algeria was an integral part of France, is nonetheless listed as a person born in a foreign country in French statistics.
2 An immigrant is a person born in a foreign country not having French citizenship at birth. An immigrant may have acquired French citizenship since moving to France, but is still considered an immigrant in French statistics. On the other hand, persons born in France with foreign citizenship (the children of immigrants) are not listed as immigrants.
Education
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (January 2015)
There are six public high-schools in the 3rd arrondissement, and no private high-schools. [4]
There are 9 museums alone in the 3rd arrondissement as listed by the Paris office of tourism, however there are also many other smaller museums, as listed below.[5]