Barbès-Rochechouart: station history
Served by: metro lines 2 and 4.
Did you know?
A station of lines 2 and 4, on the border of the 9th, 10th and 18th arrondissements, at the intersection of four boulevards: Magenta, de la Chapelle, Barbès and Marguerite-de-Rochechouart. The line 2 station is elevated, on a viaduct, the line 4 one underground and curved. Opened as « Boulevard Barbès » almost two months after the line 2 section, it took the names of the two boulevards: Armand Barbès, a republican, and Marguerite de Rochechouart de Montpipeau, a nun, which makes it one of the few stations bearing a woman's name.
Anecdote
The surround of the Guimard entrance was transferred to Bolivar station during works in 1987. In « Domicile conjugal » (François Truffaut, 1970), the station appears twice, on the line 2 platforms, and Antoine Doinel meets Monsieur Hulot, played by Jacques Tati; « Les Ripoux » (Claude Zidi, 1984) also has scenes in the surrounding area. The Louxor cinema, fully restored in 2013, has a terrace overlooking the station.
Around Barbès-Rochechouart
- Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, 90 m away — A legendary 1876 hall, listed as a historic monument, restored in its weathered state by director Peter Brook from 1974 onward.
- Marché Barbès, 500 m away — A working-class market set up beneath the elevated metro viaduct, one of the liveliest and most cosmopolitan in Paris.
- Institut des Cultures d'Islam, 600 m away — A cultural centre devoted to Muslim cultures, offering exhibitions, classes and a contemporary hammam.
- Église Saint-Bernard, 450 m away — A neo-Gothic church known for hosting the widely publicised 1996 occupation by undocumented African migrants.