Alexandre Dumas: origin of the name and station history
Served by: metro line 2.
Why this name?
The temporary eastern terminus of line 2 North from Porte Dauphine, the station was first called Bagnolet, after rue de Bagnolet. It was renamed Alexandre Dumas to avoid confusion with the new Porte de Bagnolet station (line 3); the name honours rue Alexandre-Dumas, a few hundred metres to the south, itself dedicated to the writer (1802-1870). The station lies under boulevard de Charonne, on the border of the Roquette, Sainte-Marguerite, Père-Lachaise and Charonne districts.
Anecdote
The single entrance, on boulevard de Charonne, is a Guimard entrance listed as a historic monument. In 2016, as an April Fools' joke, its signs were renamed « Les Trois Mousquetaires » for a day, a nod to the author's novel. It was the first on the network to trial two « Ip'Air » air purifiers, developed by Suez.
Around Alexandre Dumas
- Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, 450 m away — Paris's largest cemetery, the final resting place of Chopin, Édith Piaf and Jim Morrison.
- Rue des Pyrénées, 900 m away — A long shopping street crossing all of eastern Paris, lined with local shops.