Within a few years the Sorbonne became the center of the academic world, attracting students from all over Europe, and even today, several centuries later, the Latin Quarter maintains its spirit of learning. Its narrow medieval lanes are dotted with several colleges and universities, libraries, cozy cafes and long-established shops.
The quarter still bears some unique traces of Lutetia, the first settlement emerged on the site of modern-day Paris. The Rue Monge has the remains of the Roman Arena, while the Boulevard Saint-Michel boasts the Roman baths from the first millennium. Streets like the Rue Mouffetard and the Rue de Chat qui Peche (literally the street of the fishing cat) have scarcely changed since the Middle Ages. A stroll along here is a step back in time, where we can imagine how Paris looked in the past. The Latin Quarter also has many old churches, most of which are still in use today.