Between huge market and shopping mall, do you know the history of the trou des Halles?

Today, the Forum des Halles , with its original architecture, sits atop a veritable maze, massively used by Parisians and tourists alike when taking the metro or RER. This brand-new shopping center, which also houses a swimming pool and cinema, to name but a few, is strategically located in the capital, which has seen many other lives over the last few centuries. Let's go back in time to discover its long history!

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In the Middle Ages, there was a pillory, then a fair and even Paris' first public fountain! In the 12th century, King Philippe Auguste decided to set up a permanent marketto feed the growing city.

Initially an open-air market, over the centuries it became the "Belly of Paris" described by Émile Zola, a sprawling network of pavilions and stalls where meat, fish, vegetables and spices were traded... designed by Victor Baltard in the mid-19th century at the request of Napoleon III.

Sovereigns made early use of this central location for Paris to feed the population more efficiently, before the 1960s decided to move the market outside the city, to Rungis. The pavilions were demolished, except for one, the Pavillon Baltard, which was saved and reassembled in Nogent-sur-Marne. Meanwhile, the surface of Les Halles was abandoned. Gone was the noisy but lively chaos, the"trou des Halles" had taken its place.

For almost seven years, a vast empty space stretched over several hectares, deserted, a little gloomy, awaiting the continuation of its history, becoming a district stripped of its identity, with no real vocation. Shunned by passers-by, it came alive again when the new Forum des Halles, inaugurated in 1979, emerged from the ground, a bold project involving a shopping mall and underground railway station.

Between 2010 and 2016, it was transformed once again with its Canopée, even more modern and as lively as ever, becoming Europe's third-largest shopping center, alongside a large garden with a lovely view of theSaint-Eustache church.