Last year I stumbled upon a set of streets in the 8th and 9th arr. that were named after European capital cities. I tried to trace the history of it but I had trouble finding any relevant information. I asked my friend and esteemed Paris historian and lecturer Thirza Vallois about it, and she kindly wrote a detailed history of the area. Thirza Vallois is the author of the very popular series of guidebooks Around and About Paris, which recently been updated as an E-book.
The Jacquemart-André Museum is currently holding a delightful exhibition of works by two of the frères Caillebotte, respectively the better known painter and collector of the Impressionists, Gustave, and the photographer Martial. Their works provide an invaluable record of Haussmann's city of modernity which developed under their eyes. Among the paintings on display is Le Pont de l'Europe, the railway bridge, so named because it was situated in the Europe neighbourhood — le quartier de l'Europe (or loosely le quartier Europe), north of the Gare Saint-Lazare.
Although this neighbourhood seems characteristically Haussmannian, it actually dates from 1826. It was developed as a speculative venture for the benefit of share holders. The developers, a Swedish banker, Jonas Hagerman, and the king's locksmith, Sylvain Mignon, were given a free hand, except for the obligation to have a fenced garden in the centre of the Place de l'Europe. Several other neighbourhoods were developed in Paris during the Restoration, to meet the housing needs of the growing capitalist society : The François I neighbourhood, by the Champs-Elysées, for example, was developed three years earlier. The contractor of both developments was Jean-Léonard Violet, a local councillor in the village of Vaugirard, now the 15th arrondissement, who became a developer in his own right and to whom we owe much of the urban fabric of the arrondissement. Rue Violet, situated in the 15th, is named after him.
The Europe neighbourhood replaced the lovely Tivoli Gardens. This was still a countrified area and the new development was intended to be elegant for members of the new affluent society. The main arteries therefore had to be 15m wide, which Haussmann later increased to 20. Most were designed to radiate from a roundabout, a design repeated by Haussmann and his followers throughout the city. The octogonal Place de l'Europe was the neighbourhood's main hub, to which were added la Place de Dublin and la Place de Budapest. The rue de Rome and rue d'Amsterdam framed the neighbourhood to the west and to the east, and a few narrower streets were laid out here and there as a link between the main ones. Each street was given the name of one of the major European cities, 24 in all. Note that during the Communist rule of Soviet Union, rue de St-Petersbourg was renamed rue de Léningrad. People often wonder why the Place de Stalingrad in the 19th arrondissement has not reverted to Volgograd, the current name of the city. That's because it does not commomemorate the city but the battle fought there in 1942/43.
It is customary to have thematic names for planned urban developments. It enhances the unity sought by the planners. There are other examples in Paris where enclaves are unified through the names of the streets, names of flowers for instance. Well known to all are the Boulevards des Maréchaux that girdle Paris. They are not an enclave, of course, but share a common function. The celebration of Europe, in this instance, was probably in keeping with the prevailing faith in the endless possibilities of trade and growth in those early days of capitalism, a reflection of a budding sense of European identity which will teeth through the 19th century.
In 1832, the frères Pereire, the founders of the French railway, dug a tunnel under the Place de l'Europe, along the rue de Londres, to host the Europe Pier and the first French rail line, between Paris and Saint-Germain-en-Laye. They had hoped to start the line at the more central Place de la Madeleine but met with protestations from high quarters. The opposition to the railway in conservative France was such that Louis-Philippe was dissuaded from inaugurating the line, in 1837, on the grounds that it was a perilous journey — yet not dangerous enough for his wife, who took the inaugural ride instead of the King, together with their children! Even a serious scientist like François Arago was opposed to the building of the tunnels, claiming they would cause pneumonia and pleurisy. The Europe Pier was replaced by the Gare Saint-Lazare in 1842, which would eventually bring about the decline of the neighbourhood, as railway stations will. At the time of the Caillebotte it was still a sought after where wealth mingled with successful artists, musicians and writers. The train was still a novelty and watching it go by from the Europe bridge was a favourite passtime among the ordinary badauds (strollers, passers-by), as recorded by the Caillebotte. The bridge was also painted by Monet, but the one we see today is not the first bridge, the one which they had painted. It replaced the old bridge in 1931.
Note that until recent times, rue d'Amsterdam was an unmissible shrine of cheese lovers the world over. From Colette to Orson Welles or Maria Callas, they all made a journey to at Androuët, at no. 41, when in town. As success bred success Androuët started making offspring. By now they have scattered to all corners of the planet.
Musical nourishment is also provided in the quartier Europe. Until 1990 rue de Madrid was home to the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Dance, which moved in 1990 to the Cité de la Musique at La Villette. Fortunately the premises kept their vocation and now host the Regional Conservatoire. Rue de Rome and its vicinity therefore been able to remain the city's stronghold of string dealers, most famously Vatelot-Rampal on rue Portalis, the one street that is not named after a European city! The reason why? It was not part of the original development and was opened only thirty years later.
Author's note:
If you noticed any inconsistency on my part in terms of capital letters - Place de l'Europe versus rue de Rome, for instance, this is intentional. I follow the French grammar rules which do not take capitals, except for Place, because I wanted to highlight it, a step made all the more necessary because, unlike rue or quartier the word "place" exists in English and could lead to a confusion.
Thirza Vallois is the author of the internationally acclaimed Around and About Paris series, Romantic Paris and Aveyron, A Bridge to French Arcadia. A long-time Parisian, a Sorbonne post-graduate and "agrégée", Thirza is an expert on all things Parisian and has also written the Paris entry for the Encarta Encyclopaedia. Thirza has appeared on PBS, BBC, the Travel Channel, the French Cultural Channel, Discovery and CNN, has worked as a consultant for the BBC, has spoken on BBC Radio 4, NPR in the US, and had her own programme "postcard from Paris" on one of London's radios. Thirza also lectures to art societies and educational organisations throughout the world and writes for the international press. Her award-winning Three Perfect Days in Paris story, published in United Airlines' Hemispheres, was aired on their international flights and travel channels.
Around and About Paris, volume 1, covering the centre of the city, is now available as an ebook, making it the ideal companion for the reader on the move.
www.aroundandaboutparis.com
www.thirzavallois.com
In addition to my Eye Prefer Paris Tours, we now offer Eye Prefer New York Tours, 3-hour walking tours of New Yorkís best neighborhoods including Soho, Meatpacking/West Village & Tribeca. Tours cost $195 for up to 3 people and $65 for each additional person.Come take a bit of the Big Apple on an Eye Prefer New York Tour!
Come experience my blog ìliveî with my Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I lead. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.Tours cost 195 euros for up to 3 people, and 65 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris. www.eyepreferparistours.com
New! Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes
I am happy to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Cooking Classes. Come take an ethnic culinary journey with me and chef and caterer Charlotte Puckette, co-author of the bestseller The Ethnic Paris Cookbook (with Olivia Kiang-Snaije). First we will shop at a Paris green-market for the freshest ingredients and then return to Charlotteís professional kitchen near the Eiffel Tower to cook a three-course lunch. After, we will indulge in the delicious feast we prepared along with hand-selected wines.
Cost: 185 euros per person (about $240)
Time: 9:30AM- 2PM (approximately 4 1/2 hours)
Location: We will meet by a metro station close to the market
Class days: Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday
Minimum of 2 students, maximum 6 students.
Click here to sign up for the next class or for more info.
Thnx for taking the time to talk about this, I feel strongly about it and love learning more on this topic. If possible, as you become expertise, would you mind updating your blog with more info? It is highly helpful for me. Two thumb up for this article!
alberghi parigi
Posted by: endawiging | July 06, 2012 at 01:20 PM