Île Saint-Louis, Paris

Île Saint-Louis is an island in the Seine, and its compact scale conceals a remarkable transformation. The island covers eleven hectares and is one of two natural islands remaining in the Paris section of the river. Four bridges connect it with the riverbanks, while the Pont Saint-Louis links it with the Île de la Cité.

Look along the quays and the regular streets: this orderly urban fabric replaced a landscape once used for grazing, fishing, drying laundry, and storing timber. Until the seventeenth century, a channel divided the site into separate islets. Under the direction of Christophe Marie, that channel was filled, the edges were strengthened, and townhouses rose according to a planned grid.

The development was largely complete by 1664, making the island an unusually deliberate piece of Parisian city building. The island received its present name in 1725, honouring Louis IX. He had a strong connection with the site, where he was known to read and administer justice.

During the Revolution, the island briefly became the Île de la Fraternité. Today, the four quays and the long central street preserve the shape of that seventeenth-century project: a former patch of working land turned into a residential island of elegant façades and historic bridges.