Paris 5th district
Having overflowed from the Ile de la Cité the major part of the Roman city was to be found here. The Celtic Iron Age people the Parisii who had settled on the banks of the river Seine from the middle of the 3rd century BC and were vanquished in 52 BC by the Roman troops had spread over here during the second century BC. The layout of rue St Jacques and many nearby streets bear witness to this long-gone era, as do the Forum (rue Soufflot), the Thermae (the remains of which are in Cluny Museum) and the vestiges of the arenas (les arènes de Lutèce). The area also witnessed the appearance of ecclesiastical institutions such as Ste Geneviève and St Victor abbeys, as well as the “enceinte de Philippe Auguste” (1180-1220), the oldest city wall with an accurately known plan and which is still partially visible. The “Salpetriere” and “Val de Grace” hospitals were subsequently built here along with the Jardin des Plantes, France’s major botanical garden.
The former Philippe Auguste wall divides the district into two. First, the section within the fortifications known as "Université" in the Middle Ages with its numerous colleges including the Sorbonne. Thi still boasts many 15th, 16th and 17th century buildings. Surrounded by boulevards, the second is the more modern and airy “exterior” area which developed during the 18th and 19th centuries.
