Alma-Marceau: station history
Served by: metro line 9.
Did you know?
A line 9 station on the border of the 8th and 16th arrondissements, west of place de l'Alma, between Iéna and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Its name recalls the battle of the Alma (1854), a Franco-British victory over the Russians in Crimea, commemorated by the bridge and the square, and takes that of avenue Marceau, in honour of General François Séverin Marceau-Desgravier (1769-1796). It opened with the first extension of line 9, from Trocadéro to Saint-Augustin. Three entrances lead notably to avenue Montaigne, the pont de l'Alma and the Palais de Tokyo.
Anecdote
It is one of the rare stations to keep the Andreu-Motte style intact, here in a shade of blue that was not used again: blue light ramps, benches, tympana and seats. The lower part of the walls is vertical rather than elliptical, because the immediate proximity of the Seine required reinforced construction. Nearby, place Diana holds the Flame of Liberty, and the Zouave of the pont de l'Alma stands on the upstream side of the bridge.
Audio guide
Musée du Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac
In 1990, collector Jacques Kerchache shouted: "Masterpieces from all over the world are born free and equal. 🌍 His dream: that the arts of Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas will finally have their great museum in Paris. He convinced Jacques Chirac, then mayor of Paris. Became president in 1995, he announced the project the following year, and construction was decided in 1998.
On the banks of the Seine, a stone's throw from the Eiffel Tower, architect Jean Nouvel imagines "a singular architecture for singular objects": four buildings set in a garden of 2 hectares of wooded savannah, including a facade covered with an 800 m² green wall by Patrick Blanc. 🌿 Inside, a vast 10,000 m² plateau brings together the four continents, without partitions. The museum brings together the collections of the Musée de l 'Homme and the Musée des Arts d 'Afrique et d 'Océanie: nearly 300,000 works, including some 3,500 masterpieces presented to the public. Inaugurated on 20 June 2006, it opened its doors three days later and quickly met its audience. Twenty years later, more than 25 million visitors have already visited it, including 1.4 million in 2025 alone
Around Alma-Marceau
- Musée du Quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, 450 m away — A museum of the arts and civilisations of Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas, in a building by Jean Nouvel near the Eiffel Tower.
- Pont de l'Alma, 60 m away — A bridge sadly known for Princess Diana's fatal accident in 1997, adorned with the Zouave statue.
- Musée Galliera, 350 m away — The City of Paris's fashion museum, in a 19th-century palace, devoted to the history of clothing.
- Palais de Tokyo, 350 m away — A vast contemporary art centre known for its bold exhibitions and Art Deco architecture.