Galleries or covered passages are early form of shopping arcades. They are privately owned, glass covered, pedestrian only walkways lined with shops. They were very popular until the end of the Second Empire, when shops on wide boulevards became fashionable. Only about 2 dozens of them are left in Paris. We visited two adjoining ones, Vivienne and Colbert.
The Galerie Vivienne was built in 1823. It is decorated in neo-classical style with mosaic floor. The nearby Galerie Colbert was built in 1826. It never achieved the popularity of Galerie Vivienne. After the 1980 renovation, it was bought by the Bibliothèque nationale de France (National Library of France). Both galleries are located near the Place des Victoires with an equestrian statue of Louis XIV.