The name Sorbonne comes from the theological college founded in 1257 by Robert de Sorbon.

After centuries as a complete university, the cultural revolution in the late 60s caused the splitting up of the university into 13 autonomous bodies. After months of disagreement between students and authorities, the Sorbonne was closed to students. Thousands of students, teachers and supporters marched in protest, in the first of several marches that lead to clashes with the police, and hundreds of arrests and injuries. On 13 May 1968, over a million marched, prompting president Georges Pompidou to backpedal, reopening the university and releasing prisoners.

But this was not enough. Action groups occupied the Sorbonne and declared it the autonomous ‘people’s university.’ Drastic reforms were cooked up, including the splitting of the university into 13 sections. Four of these now inhabit the historic Sorbonne building, most prominently Paris IV, which inherited much of the arts faculties.

Many of the bars and pubs of the 5th arrondissement are frequented by the artsy intellectuals spawned from this institution – you’ll spot them sporting a cigarette, a scruffy demeanor and a wordy outlook, nourished on the likes of Sartre or Foucault.