The 3rd arrondissement of Paris (IIIe arrondissement, French pronunciation: [tʁwɑzjɛm aʁɔ̃dismɑ̃]) 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: [lə tʁwɑzjɛm]) 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. In 2023, it had a population of 32,179.
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.
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History
The oldest surviving private house in Paris, built in 1407, is to be found in the 3rd arrondissement at 51 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.
The administrative quarters are:
Quartier des Arts-et-Métiers (9)
Quartier des Enfants-Rouges (10)
Quartier des Archives (11)
Quartier Sainte-Avoye (12)
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 arrondissement hosted a total of 29,723 jobs.
Education
There are six public high-schools in the 3rd arrondissement, and no private high-schools.
Lycée Victor Hugo, 27 rue de Sevigné
Lycée Turgot, 69 rue de Turbigo
Lycée Simone Veil, 7 rue de Poitou
Lycée Professionel François Truffaut, 28 rue Debelleyeme
Lycée professionnel de la bijouterie Nicolas Flamel (an annex of the École Boulle), 8 rue de Montmorency
Lycée professionnel Abbé Grégoire, 70 bis, rue de Turbigo
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.
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.
Musée des Arts et Métiers
Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature
Musée Cognacq-Jay
Musée Picasso
Musée de la Poupée
Musée de la Serrure
Musée des Archives Nationales - Hôtel de Soubise
Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme
Musée Carnavalet - Histoire de Paris
Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation
La Gaîté Lyrique
Gardens
There are 6 smaller gardens throughout the 3rd arrondissement.
Square du Temple - Elie-Wiesel
Square Saint-Gilles Grand Veneur - Pauline-Roland
Jardin de Rohan
Square Georges Cain
Square Léopold-Achille
Jardin Anne Frank
Jardin de l'Hotel Salé - Léonor Fini
Jardin des Archives Nationale
Churches
Saint-Denys-du-Saint-Sacrement
Saint-Nicolas-des-Champs, Paris
Other
Le Marais (shared with the 4th arrondissement)
Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers - main campus
Le Défenseur du Temps
Institut Tessin
Hôtel de Soubise
Former Temple fortress
Carreau du Temple
Théâtre Déjazet