Les Halles is the heart of Paris. This district is exactly in the centre of the capital of France, in the 1st
Arrondissement.
Originally,
Les Halles was the name given to Paris's central fresh food market, centuries ago. In 1183, King Philippe II Auguste restored the old market and built a big structure in order to protect the merchants, coming from all over the country, and their goods.
Les Halles became famous worldwide thanks to French writer
Émile Zola and his novel
Le Ventre de Paris (The Fat and the Thin)