Les Halles de Paris (pronounced [le al]) was the name given to the central market center in Paris, where wholesale fresh food products were once sold. It was located in the heart of Paris, France, in the 1st arrondissement, just south of rue Montorgueil. The large central wholesale marketplace was demolished in 1971 and replaced with an underground modern shopping precinct, the Forum des Halles, whose open air center area is below street level, like a sunken garden, and contains sculptures, fountains, and mosaics.