Rue Nationale

Last updated
Rue Nationale
Rue Traversaine
Rue National (Tours).jpg
Former name(s)Rue Royale
Type Street
Length700 meters
Location Tours
Postal code37000
Coordinates 47°23′35″N0°41′16″E / 47.393042°N 0.687876°E / 47.393042; 0.687876
Construction
Construction start15th century

The Rue Nationale is one of the oldest streets and the busiest shopping street in the city of Tours.

Contents

Description

The Rue Nationale is located in the center of Tours. It is 700 meters long and extends over a flat land from north to south. It connects the place Anatole France, where it leads to the Pont Wilson, and the Avenue de Grammont.

The street belongs to a seven-kilometer straight road which includes, from north to south, the Avenue de la Tranchée, the Pont Wilson, the Rue Nationale et the Avenue de Grammont.

The northern part of the street is wider than the south which is pedestrian and only used by public transport.

History

The Rue Royale, currently named Rue Nationale, was drawn in 1777 after the plans by Jean Cabet de Limeray, although there was another street before, the rue Taversaine. [1] This project was switches the axis of the city: it was formerly an East-West axis with the streets du Commerce and Colbert, then became a north-south axis from the church of Saint-Julien.

In 1840, under the mandate of the mayor Walvein, the street was not yet compelled. All the amenities and the constructions made therein, however, maintain harmony, unity. The facades should be absolutely symmetrical, therefore, the notable buildings were built in mirror on both sides of the street (place Anatole France), before the Loire.

Under the mandate of the mayor of Tours Jules Charpentier (1882-1884) the Rue Royale became the Rue Nationale.

In mid-June 1940, Nazi bombing after the fall of Paris caused a major fire which destroyed part of the Rue Nationale, including the old Hôtel de Ville. After the war, Camille Lefèvre proposed a project to reorganize the street, but it was the architect Pierre Patout who was granted to rebuild. The northern part was completely destroyed, and then extended about ten meters.

Until the end of construction of the A10 in 1981, the Rue Nationale was heavily trafficked, as it is on the major axis connecting Paris to Spain (Route nationale 10).

The street starts with the central library of Tours and the Saint-Julien church, an old abbey. At No. 17, there was the famous Hôtel du Faisan, and No. 39 the house of birth of Honoré de Balzac.

Description

Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, the street has been crossed in its first half part, by two car lanes and two bus lanes, and in its second half part, by pedestrians and public transport only. The street is completely lined with shops.

The total restructuring of the wide part of the street is planned for 2013, including new construction (a Musée d'art contemporain, etc.) and conversion of a part between Rue des Halles and Rue Émile Zola, in an area exclusively reserved for pedestrians, cyclists and trams. [2] Buildings, including two hotels, will be designed by the agency Arte Charpentier and the architect Andrew Hobson. [3]

There are two statues of René Descartes and François Rabelais in the street. The Musée des Vins and the Musée du Compagnonnage are respectively located at No. 16 and No. 8. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strasbourg</span> Prefecture and commune in Grand Est, France

Strasbourg is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France, at the border with Germany in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin department and the official seat of the European Parliament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">6th arrondissement of Paris</span> Municipal arrondissement in Île-de-France, France

The 6th arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, it is referred to as le sixième.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st arrondissement of Paris</span> Municipal arrondissement in Île-de-France, France

The 1st arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is colloquially referred to as le premier. It is governed locally together with the 2nd, 3rd and 4th arrondissement, with which it forms the 1st sector of Paris (Paris-Centre).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hector Guimard</span> French architect and designer (1867–1942)

Hector Guimard was a French architect and designer, and a prominent figure of the Art Nouveau style. He achieved early fame with his design for the Castel Beranger, the first Art Nouveau apartment building in Paris, which was selected in an 1899 competition as one of the best new building facades in the city. He is best known for the glass and iron edicules or canopies, with ornamental Art Nouveau curves, which he designed to cover the entrances of the first stations of the Paris Metro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Passy station</span> Métro station in Paris, France

Passy is a station on Line 6 of the Paris Métro. Located in the 16th arrondissement, it is elevated at its eastern end, while its western end is in the mouth of a tunnel. Passy metro station lies above Rue de l'Alboni where the street becomes pedestrianised as a result of a steep grade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pont Neuf station</span> Metro station in Paris, France

Pont Neuf is a station on Line 7 of the Paris Métro. Located in the heart of old Paris, it is connected to the Île de la Cité by the nearby Pont Neuf after which it is named. It opened in 1926 with the line's extension from Palais Royal–Musée du Louvre to Pont Marie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boulevard Saint-Michel</span> Boulevard in Paris, France

The Boulevard Saint-Michel is one of the two major streets in the Latin Quarter of Paris, France, the other being the Boulevard Saint-Germain. It is a tree-lined boulevard which runs south from the Pont Saint-Michel on the Seine and Place Saint-Michel, crosses the Boulevard Saint-Germain and continues alongside the Sorbonne and the Jardin du Luxembourg, ending at the Place Camille Jullian just before the Port-Royal RER station and the Avenue de l'Observatoire. It was created by Baron Haussmann to run parallel to the Rue Saint-Jacques which marks the historical north-south axis of Paris. It is known colloquially as Boul'Mich' in French.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haussmann's renovation of Paris</span> Vast public works programme commissioned by Emperor Napoléon III between 1853 and 1870

Haussmann's renovation of Paris was a vast public works programme commissioned by French Emperor Napoleon III and directed by his prefect of the Seine, Georges-Eugène Haussmann, between 1853 and 1870. It included the demolition of medieval neighbourhoods that were deemed overcrowded and unhealthy by officials at the time, the building of wide avenues, new parks and squares, the annexation of the suburbs surrounding Paris, and the construction of new sewers, fountains and aqueducts. Haussmann's work was met with fierce opposition, and he was dismissed by Napoleon III in 1870. Work on his projects continued until 1927. The street plan and distinctive appearance of the centre of Paris today are largely the result of Haussmann's renovation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Germain Boffrand</span> French architect (1667–1754)

Germain Boffrand was a French architect. A pupil of Jules Hardouin-Mansart, Germain Boffrand was one of the main creators of the precursor to Rococo called the style Régence, and in his interiors, of the Rococo itself. In his exteriors he held to a monumental Late Baroque classicism with some innovations in spatial planning that were exceptional in France. His major commissions, culminating in his interiors at the Hôtel de Soubise, were memorialised in his treatise Livre d'architecture, published in 1745, which served to disseminate the French Louis XV style throughout Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rue du Bac, Paris</span> Street in Paris, France

Rue du Bac is a street in Paris situated in the 7th arrondissement. The street, which is 1150 m long, begins at the junction of the quais Voltaire and Anatole-France and ends at the rue de Sèvres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rue Victor-Hugo, Lyon</span> Pedestrian street in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon, France

Rue Victor-Hugo is a pedestrian street in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon, in the Ainay district of the Presqu'île quarter, reputed to be one of the most known shopping area of Lyon. From north to south, it connects the Place Bellecour to the Place Carnot. Beyond the Place Bellecour, the rue de la République is its natural extension, thus creating one of the biggest pedestrian streets in Europe. The street is served by metro stations Perrache, Bellecour and Ampère - Victor Hugo. It belongs to the zone classified as World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sèvres</span> Commune in Île-de-France, France

Sèvres is a French commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris. It is located 9.9 kilometres from the centre of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine department of the Île-de-France region. The commune, which had a population of 23,251 as of 2018, is known for its famous porcelain production at the Manufacture nationale de Sèvres, which was also where the Treaty of Sèvres (1920) was signed.

This article presents the main landmarks in the city of Paris within administrative limits, divided by its 20 arrondissements. Landmarks located in the suburbs of Paris, outside of its administrative limits, while within the metropolitan area are not included in this article.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of Paris</span>

The city of Paris has notable examples of architecture of every period, from the Middle Ages to the 21st century. It was the birthplace of the Gothic style, and has important monuments of the French Renaissance, Classical revival, the Flamboyant style of the reign of Napoleon III, the Belle Époque, and the Art Nouveau style. The great Exposition Universelle (1889) and 1900 added Paris landmarks, including the Eiffel Tower and Grand Palais. In the 20th century, the Art Deco style of architecture first appeared in Paris, and Paris architects also influenced the postmodern architecture of the second half of the century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tours tramway</span> Tram network in Tours, France.

The Tours tramway is a tram network which is operated by the city of Tours, in Indre-et-Loire, in the French region of Centre-Val de Loire. Originally opening on 31 Aug 2013, the route is nearly 15 kilometers long and has 29 stations. The tramway is made up of a singular line called the A, which connects many major areas of the city, such as Tours station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rue des Archives</span> Street in the Marais, Paris

The Rue des Archives is a street in Le Marais at the border of 3rd and 4th arrondissements of Paris, France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rue Alsace-Lorraine, Saintes</span> French street

Rue Alsace-Lorraine is a pedestrian thoroughfare in the French commune of Saintes, in the Charente-Maritime department.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vieux-Lille</span> District in the north of Lille, France

Vieux-Lille is a district in the north of Lille. It is the district with the most pre-19th-century buildings. It still boasts many cobbled streets and traces of the canals that crisscrossed the city in centuries gone by. It is home to 20,000 inhabitants.

References

  1. Chevalier, Bernard (1985). Histoire de Tours (in French) (Privat ed.). Toulouse. p. 47. ISBN   2-7089-8224-9.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. "8 Grands Projets — Haut de la rue Nationale" (in French). Penser Tours, plan local d'urbanisme. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
  3. Bellanger, Évelyne (26 March 2011). "La mairie lève le voile sur le haut de la rue Nationale". La Nouvelle République (in French). Retrieved 4 April 2011.
  4. "Around rue Nationale" (in French). France for Visitors. Retrieved 4 April 2011.