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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Red Children's Market is the oldest covered market in Paris still in operation. Located at 39 rue de Bretagne in the 3rd arrondissement, it owes its name to the Red Children's Hospital, founded in 1524 by Marguerite de Navarre to accommodate orphans. This hospice, now gone, marked the neighborhood and gave its name to both the market and the nearby rue de Beauce.

Created in 1615 during the reign of Louis XIII, the market was initially named "small market of the Marais". It took its current name in 1772, with reference to the neighboring hospice. In 1912, the Paris City Hall became its owner, and the market established itself as a central place for the supply of milk to Parisians. Despite a threat of demolition in 1994, transformed into a parking project under the impulse of Jacques Chirac, the market is preserved.

Ranked a historic monument since 8 March 1982, the Red Children's Market benefited from major renovations in the late 1990s, carried by local actors such as Bertrand Tavernier. Today, it has three entrances (street of Brittany, rue Charlot and rue des Oiseaux) and remains an emblematic place of Parisian heritage, mixing history and modernity.

The market is managed by the municipality of Paris and continues to welcome traders and visitors, perpetuating its role as a place of life and exchange for more than four centuries. Its architecture and history make it a symbol of the Marais, between tradition and adaptation to contemporary needs.

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