Rue Saint-Denis (Paris)

Last updated
Rue Saint-Denis (Paris)
RueSaintDenisLesHalles.jpg
Pedestrian Rue Saint Denis in Les Halles district
Paris department land cover location map.svg
Reddot.svg
Shown within Paris
Length 1,334 m (4,377 ft)
Width 1,630 m (5,350 ft)
Arrondissement 1st, 2nd
Quarter Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois, Halles, Bonne Nouvelle
Coordinates 48°51′51″N2°21′0″E / 48.86417°N 2.35000°E / 48.86417; 2.35000 Coordinates: 48°51′51″N2°21′0″E / 48.86417°N 2.35000°E / 48.86417; 2.35000
From Avenue Victoria
To Boulevard de Bonne Nouvelle
Construction
Completion 1st century

Rue Saint-Denis is one of the oldest streets in Paris. Its route was first laid out in the 1st century by the Romans, and then extended to the north in the Middle Ages. From the Middle Ages to the present day, the street has been notorious as a place of prostitution. Its name derives from it being the historic route to Saint-Denis.

Contents

The street extends as far as the 1st arrondissement and Rue de Rivoli to the south and as far as the 2nd arrondissement and the boulevard Saint-Denis to the north. It runs parallel to the boulevard de Sébastopol.

History

The ancient Roman route (Flanders road) leading to Saint-Denis, Pontoise and Rouen it competed with the "route de Senlis" (see rue Saint-Martin) but gained an advantage over it with the demolition of the Grand Pont (see Pont au Change) and the development of the royal abbey of Saint-Denis, becoming the triumphal way for royal entries into the capital.

Flanked by houses from 1134 onwards, the street has borne the alternative names of Sellerie de Paris and Sellerie de la Grande Rue (13th century) ; grand'rue de Paris ; grande rue or rue des Saints Innocents et grant chaussée de Monsieur / Monseigneur Saint-Denis (14th century). During the French Revolution, it was known as the rue de Franciade.

The street was one of the centres of the June Rebellion of 1832, immortalised in Victor Hugo's novel Les Misérables , and which is referred to in the book as the "Epic of the Rue Saint-Denis". [1]

Activities

The neighborhood around the rue Saint-Denis is now above all made up of sex shops, with the part situated between rue Réaumur and boulevard Saint-Denis notorious as a place of prostitution. The street also contains some clothes shops, bars and restaurants, as well as the church of Saint-Leu-Saint-Gilles, a bank, and the Chambre des notaires building.

Famous buildings

Related Research Articles

2nd arrondissement of Paris Municipal arrondissement in Île-de-France, France

The 2nd 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 deuxième. It is governed locally together with the 1st, 3rd and 4th arrondissement, with which it forms the 1st sector of Paris.

8th arrondissement of Paris Municipal arrondissement in Île-de-France, France

The 8th 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 huitième.

Boulevard Saint-Germain Street in Paris

Boulevard Saint-Germain is a major street in Paris on the Rive Gauche of the Seine.

Wallace fountain

Wallace Fountains are public drinking fountains named after, financed by and roughly designed by Sir Richard Wallace. The final design and sculpture is by Wallace's friend Charles-Auguste Lebourg. They are large cast-iron sculptures scattered throughout the city of Paris, France, mainly along the most-frequented sidewalks. A great aesthetic success, they are recognized worldwide as one of the symbols of Paris. A Wallace Fountain can be seen outside the Wallace Collection in London, the gallery that houses the works of art collected by Sir Richard Wallace and the first four Marquesses of Hertford.

Boulevard Saint-Michel Street in Paris, France

Boulevard Saint-Michel is one of the two major streets in the Latin Quarter of Paris, the other being 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 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 Rue Saint-Jacques which marks the historical north-south axis of Paris. It is known colloquially as Boul'Mich' in French.

Haussmanns renovation of Paris 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 Emperor Napoleon III and directed by his prefect of 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 finally dismissed by Napoleon III in 1870; but 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.

Rue de la Chaussée-dAntin

This "quartier" of Paris got its name from the rue de la Chaussée-d'Antin in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. It runs north-northwest from the Boulevard des Italiens to the Église de la Sainte-Trinité.

Rue Saint-Honoré Street in Paris, France

The rue Saint-Honoré is a street in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France.

Rue du Bac, Paris

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.

Saint-Lazare Prison French prison

Saint-Lazare Prison was a prison in the 10th arrondissement of Paris, France.

Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Denis

The Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Denis is a street in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. It crosses the arrondissement from north to south, linking the Porte Saint-Denis to La Chapelle Métro station and passing the Gare du Nord.

Avenue de Wagram

Avenue de Wagram is a street in the 8th and 17th arrondissements of Paris, extending from the Place de Wagram to the Place Charles-de-Gaulle. It is 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) long and 36 metres (118 ft) wide, and is divided into two sections by the Place des Ternes. It was renamed on 2 March 1864 after Napoleon's 1809 victory at the Battle of Wagram; the section between Avenue des Ternes and the Place de l'Étoile was formerly known as Boulevard de l'Étoile or Boulevard de Bezons and the section between Avenue des Ternes and Place de Wagram, as Route départementale n°6.

City walls of Paris

The Walls of Paris refers to the city walls that surrounded Paris, France, as it grew from ancient times until the 20th century, built primarily to defend the city but also for administrative reasons. Several successive city walls were built over the centuries, either adding to existing walls or replacing demolished ones, through 1846, when construction of the Thiers wall was completed. The city walls of Paris include:

The Rue Rambuteau is a street in Paris, France, named after the Count de Rambuteau who started the widening of the road prior to Haussmann's renovation of Paris. The philosopher Henri Lefebvre lived on the street and observed from his window the rhythms of everyday life at the intersection located behind the Centre Georges Pompidou.

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.

Paris under Louis-Philippe

Paris during the reign of King Louis-Philippe (1830-1848) was the city described in the novels of Honoré de Balzac and Victor Hugo. Its population increased from 785,000 in 1831 to 1,053,000 in 1848, as the city grew to the north and west, while the poorest neighborhoods in the center became even more crowded.

Outline of Paris Overview of and topical guide to Paris

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Paris:

Prostitution in Paris, both in street form and in dedicated facilities has had a long history and remains present to this day.

References

  1. Victor Hugo, Les Miserables, Book 4: The Idyll of the Rue Plumet and the Epic of the Rue Saint-Denis.