Paris Plaques

Paris Plaques is your digital companion to the Histoire de Paris plaques — the iconic cast-iron information panels installed throughout the streets of Paris since 1992.
Designed by Philippe Starck and commissioned under mayor Jacques Chirac, each plaque is shaped like a ship's oar — a nod to Paris's motto Fluctuat nec mergitur ("battered by the waves, but never capsized"). Painted dark grey with red and white lettering, they stand at street level in front of monuments, on historic corners, and beside buildings of significance across all 20 arrondissements. Most Parisians pass them daily without stopping. This app gives you a reason to stop.
EXPLORE 500+ PLAQUES
Browse the full collection of Histoire de Paris plaques mapped across the city, from the grand hôtels particuliers of the Marais to the cabarets of Montmartre and the laboratories of the Latin Quarter. Each entry includes the original plaque text alongside a Wikipedia summary and image.
DISCOVER BY THEME
Filter by six curated themes:
- Architecture & Urban — grand mansions, châteaux and Haussmann boulevards
- Religious & Spiritual — churches, abbeys, convents and synagogues
- Notable Residents — where Molière, Proust, Chopin and hundreds more lived and died
- Arts & Culture — theatres, cabarets, cafés littéraires and artists' studios
- Science & Industry — hospitals, canals, railways and revolutionary inventions
- History & Revolution — battles, executions, the Commune and liberation
WALK THE CITY
Tap any plaque to get instant walking directions via Apple Maps. Enable nearby notifications and the app will alert you when you're within 200 metres of a plaque — perfect for spontaneous discovery while wandering.
BUILT FOR PARIS
Offline plaque descriptions — no signal needed
Wikipedia summaries and images loaded on demand
Translate any plaque into 11 languages using Apple Translate
Save your favourites and filter to see only saved plaques
Pins adapt as you zoom — dots at city level, full markers at street level
Whether you're a first-time visitor or a lifelong Parisienne, Paris Plaques turns every walk into a history lesson.
Fluctuat nec mergitur.