The 3rd arrondissement of Paris (IIIe arrondissement, ) 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" 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. 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. A small but slowly expanding Chinatown, inhabited by immigrants from Wenzhou, centers on the rue au Maire, near the Conservatoire national des arts et métiers and the Musée des Arts et Métiers, partly housed in the medieval priory of Saint-Martin-des-Champs.

Geography

Size

With a land area of 1.2 km2 (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

Immigration

Education

There are six public high-schools in the 3rd arrondissement, and no private high-schools. The Conservatoire national des arts et métiers (CNAM) has its main Paris campus in the area around the métro station to which it gives its name. A grande école, CNAM provides university-level technical and professional qualifications to a student body of over 25,000.

Map

Places of interest

Museums

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.

Gardens

There are 6 smaller gardens throughout the 3rd arrondissement.

Churches

Other