Quartier de la Monnaie
The Monnaie district is the oldest in the sixth arrondissement of Paris. It is the 21st administrative district of Paris and it covers an area of 29.3 ha. This district located on the banks of the Seine is bounded to the west by the rue Mazarine which separates it from the district of Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
It is bounded to the south by the Odeon district and to the east by the neighborhoods of the 5th arrondissement. The north-east part of this district faces the island of the city which is connected by the Pont-Neuf.
History
The history of this district is closely linked to the history of King Philippe-Auguste and the history of the La Monnaie factory in Paris. At the time, the kingdom needed protection and the king built a compound bearing the name of the enclosure of Philip Augustus. It is a wall starting from the Seine, in front of the end of the colonnade of the Louvre following the direction North-West to the south-east to reach the rue Saint-André-des-Arts. The remains of the enclosure of Philippe-Auguste are still visible in this district and in the other districts of Paris.
As for the Monnaie de Paris, it is a prestigious location located in front of the Louvre and the Pont Neuf. This factory was created on June 25, 864 by the edict of Pîtres de Charles le Chauve. It is the oldest French institution and the oldest company still in operation worldwide. Since the 18th century, it has housed the factory for the manufacture of coins and medals as well as other crafts.
It was King Louis XV who decided to build the current building on the quay of Conti. The work of the foundation began in 1769, while the first stone was laid in 1771. This is the work of the architect Jacques-Denis Antoine. La Monnaie de Paris was officially installed in this place on December 20, 1775. It is the first major Parisian construction under the reign of King Louis XV.