History in Paris

Discover 11 places to experience unusual history in Paris.

Les Abattoirs de Vaugirard

The site of slaughterhouses that once satisfied Parisians' taste for horse meat is now home to a park and book market.

Hotel Lutetia

A glamorous hotel that once accommodated French resistance fighters and concentration camp survivors.

Execution Site of Jacques de Molay

The approximate spot where the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar was put to death.

Grave of Philibert Aspairt

The tombstone of an unfortunate explorer who disappeared in the Paris Catacombs.

Grave of Antoine-Augustin Parmentier

The tomb of history's greatest potato promoter is surrounded by tubers.

Treaty of Paris Plaque

A simple plaque on the facade is the only reminder that the treaty ending the American Revolution was signed inside.

Fountain of Innocents

A 16th-century fountain marks the site of a lost medieval cemetery once filled with mass graves.

Sculptures de Décure

Exquisite wall sculptures carved in secret by an early quarryman in an obscure corner of the Paris Catacombs.

Louis XIV's Globes

Two awe-inspiring globes from the reign of the Sun King hang from the ceiling of France's national library.

Cours des Miracles (Court of Miracles)

Beggars were miraculously "cured" of their fake ailments when they returned home to this 17th century Paris slum each night.

Bibliothèque nationale de France (National Library of France)

This massive library holds what was once largest book collection in the world.

Are we missing something unusual in Paris?