This walk is the result of an outing organised by the association "Les Cafés Géographiques" – I would like to express my sincere thanks to Sylvie Gazannois, the tour guide, who gave such an insightful interpretation of these places and their history.
Hikers can access all the sources used by clicking on the Internet links (in blue on the website and the "Visorando" app): I would like to thank the organisations and their contributors who are the sources of the content for this "discovery trail".
Haussmann's Paris
Baron Haussmann transformed Paris between 1852 and 1870. The 9th arrondissement of Paris was at the epicentre of this transformation.
This momentum lasted for a century, shaping Paris and other European cities.
In terms of urban planning, this resulted in major breakthroughs, boulevards, large crossroads, etc. (History and geography website of the Bordeaux Academy).
The Place de l'Europe, which dates back to 1823, is a fine example of a star-shaped square.
The buildings from the Haussmann period were constructed between 1868 and 1872.
Their façades are made of cut stone. The dwellings and flats are distributed over seven levels, including the ground floor and attic. Social stratification is organised under the same roof. The ground floor and mezzanine (levels 1 and 2) are modest both socially and architecturally. The first floor (level 3) is the noble floor, the most elaborate, with large flats. The second and third floors (levels 4 and 5) are more traditional. The fourth floor is more modest. The top floor is used as attic space or service flats.
The balconies on the first and fourth floors are one of the most striking features of Haussmann-style buildings. They are generally "continuous", i.e. they run from one end of the building to the other. All these specifications mean that these balconies sometimes form a continuous line along the street.
Saint-Lazare station
St Lazare and the stations that preceded it.
The interior, glass roofs and painted glass from 1930.
The Church of the Holy Trinity
On the edge of two rapidly developing neighbourhoods, Saint Lazare and the new Athènes, the parish needed a place of worship adapted to demographic changes as early as 1860. In 1867, Hausmann solemnly handed over this church to Monsignor Darboy.
In the photo: the south façade in front of Square Etienne d'Orves. The somewhat eclectic style of Sainte-Trinité is typical of the Second Empire. Some of the façades of railway stations built during this period have the same appearance... The three statues in the foreground represent the Trinity.
Mogador district
Mogador, a reminder of the Franco-Moroccan War.
At 25 Rue de Mogador, the Theatre
At 20: a superb investment property
Bd Haussmann, the department stores
The dome of Galeries Lafayette
Le Printemps
The Square de l'Opéra Louis Jouvet, then the square and Rue Edouard VII
Pégase and the poet
Place Edouard VII is the heart of a block.
Its current appearance is the result of a vast urban planning and real estate programme initiated in 1911 by a real estate company and carried out by the architect Nénot.
This block is designed and perceived as a single entity, with its shops, offices, grand hotel and small theatre. It was opened up to the rest of the neighbourhood by the creation of Edouard VII Street, Square and Passage.
Note: the fluted pillars are topped with Corinthian capitals, spanning two floors and embellishing the façade with a colossal order. Beneath the windows with their railings, bas-reliefs illustrate the arts.
Boulevard des Capucines
At 1 Rue Scribe: the Hôtel Scribe, with a witness to the Enlightenment brothers.
Opposite, at 35 Boulevard des Capucines, a building with a beautiful red glass roof, a reminder of the studio built by Nadar (famous photographer).
At the corner of Rue Scribe and Boulevard des Capucines: the former "Old England" store, which closed in 2012.
At 27 Boulevard des Capucines, a green building with glass roofs: La Samaritaine de Luxe is a fine example of Art Nouveau architecture.
At 12 Boulevard des Capucines, Le Grand Hôtel
Opéra district
The Opéra Garnier
Description of the façade
Other source
At 8 Boulevard des Capucines: two plaques on either side of the wooden door bear witness to the former Paris headquarters of Gresham Life Assurance Limited. Offenbach later lived there from 1876, composing The Tales of Hoffmann and passing away in 1880.
At 2 Boulevard des Capucines, the Gaumont Opéra
Boulevard des Italiens area
No. 5-7 Rue des Italiens is a post-Haussmannian style building. It was built in 1911 by architect Jean-Jacques Fernier. Its façade features a monumental clock. It was formerly the headquarters of the newspaper Le Temps between 1861 and 1942, then that of the newspaper Le Monde from 1944 to 1989.
Since 1999, it has been occupied by the financial division of the Paris Court of First Instance.
No. 17-23, Boulevard des Italiens: Crédit Lyonnais
Opposite 15 Boulevard des Italiens: a visual escape to the Sacré-Cœur Basilica in Montmartre and Notre-Dame de Lorette (see photo)
Visual vistas breathe life into the built environment, connecting neighbourhoods to symbolic locations in the city. They reinforce the sense of identity among residents of outlying neighbourhoods, linking them to the city as a whole.
For this reason, they are included in urban planning schedules and constraints.
Although this visual vista is almost confidential, Hausmann's breakthroughs have created many such vistas towards Paris's iconic monuments.
At 1 Place Boieldieu, the Opéra-Comique.
At 5 Boulevard des Italiens, the Passage des Princes opens up.
Covered passages predate the Haussmann era.
The Passage des Princes, dating from 1860, is one of the last passages to have been created. It is also more sober in appearance than older passages.
This passage connects Boulevard des Italiens to Rue Richelieu at a right angle.
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