Bibliothèque François Mitterrand: station history
Served by: metro line 14, RER C.
Why this name?
Opened in 1998 with line 14, the station is in the 13th arrondissement, under the tracks coming from Gare d'Austerlitz. It takes its name from the François-Mitterrand site of the Bibliothèque nationale de France, in honour of François Mitterrand (1916-1996), the president of the Republic who had it built; its project name was « Tolbiac - Masséna ». It connects with the RER C station and serves the Paris Rive Gauche district, between the Seine and the tracks of Gare d'Austerlitz.
Anecdote
The architecture is by Antoine Grumbach, different from the architects of the other line 14 stations. The station was built rather than dug, which allowed the exceptional volume of its metro-RER interchange hall, where the steps of a curved staircase are engraved with letters from different writing systems of mankind. 180 medallions engraved with phrases, scattered through the station, illustrate the universality of cultures.
Around Bibliothèque François Mitterrand
- Bibliothèque nationale de France, 130 m away — The François-Mitterrand site, opened to the public in 1996 and designed by Dominique Perrault. Its 12,000 m² inner garden, closed to the public, holds pines from the forêt de Bord transplanted as mature trees.
- Piscine Joséphine Baker, 700 m away — A floating swimming pool moored on the Seine, with an open-air basin and river views.
- Passerelle Simone-de-Beauvoir, 550 m away — An undulating pedestrian footbridge opened in 2006, linking the BnF to Parc de Bercy across the Seine.