Three things can happen to ancient city walls. They can either get totally demolished as the city grows, or they can remain perfectly intact (like at Saint Malo or Carcassonne)… or… most interestingly: the city can swallow the wall up, perhaps never to be seen again. This is what happened in Paris with the Philippe Auguste Wall from the year 1190.

This week we mark the end of the Earful Tower wall trilogy, in which we’ve traced this magnificent remnant of ancient Paris. The first part of the trilogy covered the wall along the right bank of Paris, the second segment was through the 5th arrondissement and now we’re going on the last stretch of the Philippe Auguste wall, along its south west side in the sixth arrondissement. (The pictures below are from part two, on rue Clovis).

The Earful Tower podcast episode

On this podcast episode we’ll take you through the sixth arrondissement as we explore libraries, restaurants, hotels, offices, and car parks in search of this elusive 800-year-old wall.

And we reveal the locations of three towers we showcased along the way, none of which we’ve ever shared on the show before.

You’ll also hear the voice of Florian-Élie Vaz from the Officine Universelle Buly (the perfume office that bizarrely features a tower). Listen to the podcast below, or wherever you get your podcasts

Where to find the three towers

1) Inside the perfume office

This has got to be the most unexpected part of the Philippe Auguste wall in Paris.

A massive tower is hidden in plain sight within the headquarters of the beauty emporium: Buly 1803. It stands tall in the middle of a room surrounded by all sorts of modern day office paraphernalia.

The tower looks enormous compared to other towers from the wall, likely because it has a ceiling above it. It also features ancient wooden beams protruding from the middle of the tower, and a huge crack runs down the side of it – big enough to put your whole hand into.

You can also see what were likely once windows. It is extraordinary to think this tower has managed to escape the clutches of modern time.

The juxtaposition of the ancient wall in an e-commerce preparation room is quite fun too. Leaning up against the ancient wall are boxes of perfume ready to send around the world.

Where to find it: Between 27 and 29 Rue Guénégaud, 75006 Paris.
Note: This is an office. Please show extreme respect if you’re going to head in.

2) The Private Parking Garage

This section of the wall is hidden in the depths of a private parking garage. It is rather tricky to visit if you don’t have a car – the entry door is locked. In the quest for knowledge, I did a stake-out in front of the garage and snuck in behind a customer. I do not advise this.

The parking garage is spread across two floors underground. I headed down to the bottom floor first where I was greeted by magnificent vestiges of the Philippe Auguste Wall. Down here, the wall is behind a protective glass and lit from below, as if it was a museum display. Thanks to this glass and the underground location, the wall is in pristine condition – this is another rare find.

The wall runs through the middle of the car park for about the length of a basketball court. In the centre of the wall, a passageway has been cleared out so that cars can pass through, and you can see the thickness of wall – about 3 metres (10 feet).

This level of the carpark (-2) showcases the base of the wall. Remember, this parking garage is two whole floors underground, so Paris must have risen a considerable amount in 800 years.

After exploring the bottom level of the garage I headed upstairs to find more of the wall on the -1 floor(see pics below). Here it is about three metres high and is in incredible condition – but it’s totally filthy with a thick layer of dust. It’s clear that not many tourists have been down here for quite some time.

It’s from up here that you can get the best view of the tower.

Address: Once again, I don’t advise sneaking in, but if you really want to: the private parking garage is located at 27 Rue Mazarine, 75006 Paris

3) The restaurant centrepiece

Lastly, I visited the Brasserie Des Prés, a new restaurant which has one of the Philippe Auguste towers as its centrepiece. This brasserie is very cosy, well lit, and the best part is you can sit up with your shoulder against the wall and enjoy a nice meal. Incidentally, I’ve dined here twice and the food hits the spot.

The restaurant is spread over two floors, so if you’re looking to sit next to the wall you need a spot on the ground floor.

Address: 6 Cr du Commerce Saint-André, 75006 Paris

Bonus from the podcast: Bibliotheque Mazarine

I started this week’s adventure at the National Institute of France in the hopes of finding more vestiges of the wall. A stone map on its exterior shows that the wall ran right through the location.

There didn’t appear to be any vestiges of the wall, but I did find an incredible library that has catapulted into the top three libraries I’ve seen in France: totally worth a (free) visit.

Address: 23 Quai de Conti, 75006 Paris
Hours: Mondays – Saturday 10:00am – 6:00pm

And that’s it! Do you like this channel? Become a Patreon member of The Earful Tower here to support this show and get extras. For example, members can see the most popular bonus video I ever made – a live YouTube exploration of the Philippe Auguste Wall.

Want to do a walking tour of Paris? Book directly here – our Marais walk features this wall quite prominently (see the pictures below).