As Paris became one of the most prosperous and populous cities in medieval Europe, powerful families moved in to be closer to the king and to court.
The Hotel de Sens is a spectacular medieval building.
It belonged to the powerful archbishops of Sens - a city about 100km away from Paris.
Until the 18th century, Parisian bishops depended on the archbishops of Sens.
The Hotel de Cluny, now the Medieval Museum, is another remarkable medieval building.
It belonged to the powerful abbots of Cluny, the leading monastic order in Europe.
The Hotel de Bourgogne was owned by the powerful Dukes of Burgundy whose lands at one point stretched all the way to the Netherlands!
It was said that from the Duke of Burgundy could walk from his townhouse to the royal palace, on the city walls, without setting once a foot onto the street!
The Hotel de Clisson is another spectacular medieval building.
It belonged to a rich nobleman from Brittany, Olivier de Cresson, nicknamed "the Butcher" by the English for his ferocity as military commander during the Hundred Years War.