Bercy: origin of the name and station history
Served by: metro lines 6 and 14.
Why this name?
The station takes its name from rue de Bercy and boulevard de Bercy, at their intersection. The place appears in a 1134 charter of Louis VI the Fat, as « insula de Bercilliis ». The lordship had a château and an estate covering a third of the commune of Bercy, annexed to Paris in 1860; the château was demolished after being sold off by the heirs, the Nicolaï. Line 6 opened there on 1 March 1909, and line 14 on 15 October 1998.
Anecdote
When the French team won the 2018 World Cup, several signs were replaced, and the name became « Bercy les Bleus ». The line 14 platforms follow the architectural principles of Bernard Kohn, set out in 1991 for the whole line: light concrete ceilings, wood on the walls, wider platforms. The station serves the Arena, the Ministry of the Economy and Finance and the parc de Bercy.
Around Bercy
- Parc de Bercy, 450 m away — Opened in 1997 on 14 hectares, on the site of a former wine depot: in the early 20th century Bercy was the largest wine market in the world. It brings together the Romantic Garden, the Flowerbeds and the Meadows.
- Accor Arena, 270 m away — A huge grass-covered sloped arena, hosting major concerts and sporting events.
- Cinémathèque française, 280 m away — An institution devoted to preserving and screening film heritage, in a building designed by Frank Gehry.