Place Dauphine

You are entering the Place Dauphine, a quiet triangular enclave that King Henri the Fourth commissioned in sixteen hundred and seven. He named it in honor of his son, the heir to the throne, who would later become King Louis the Thirteenth. To build it, the king ordered the transformation of what had been a muddy garden area known as the King's Orchard at the western tip of the island. He envisioned this space as a hub for merchants and artisans, intentionally making it a more accessible, commercial counterpart to his other grand square projects.