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Mº Palais-Royal-Musee-du-Louvre . Bang in the centre of the 1er arrondissement lies place du Palais-Royal , a favourite haunt of pavement artists, performers and rollerbladers. On the north side of the place stands the Palais Royal , built for Cardinal Richelieu in 1629. Much altered since then, it now houses various government and constitutional bodies, as well as the Comedie Francaise where the classics of French theatre are performed. The palace gardens to the north were once the gastronomic, gambling and entertainment hotspot of Paris. Amusements included a cafe mecanique , where you sat at a table, sent your order down one of its legs, and were served via the other. The prohibition on public gambling in 1838 put an end to the fun, but the flats above the empty cafes remained desirable lodgings, counting among its residents Cocteau and Colette, who died here in 1954. The three arcades running along the sides of the Palais Royal gardens have hardly changed since they were built in 1784. At 153 Galerie de Valois you'll find one of the arcade's oldest art-and-antique dealers, Guillaumot , founded in 1785. Further down, at no. 142, Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido parfumerie conceals an exquisite interior done out with purple panelling.
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