3rd arrondissement of Paris

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.

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.

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.

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'Histore 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