Charonne: station history
Served by: metro line 9.
Did you know?
The name is linked to rue de Charonne, which bears the name of the former commune of Charonne, annexed to Paris in 1859; the Charonne district is more than 700 m east of the station. Lying under boulevard Voltaire, in the 11th arrondissement, between Voltaire and Rue des Boulets, it opened with the fifth extension of line 9, from the temporary terminus at Richelieu - Drouot to Porte de Montreuil. Its four entrances, six openings in all, have 1930s Dervaux railings.
Anecdote
On 8 February 1962, during the Algerian War, a left-wing demonstration denouncing the OAS and the war was violently put down on the orders of Prefect Maurice Papon; demonstrators tried to take refuge in the metro entrance, and nine people died. Place du 8-Février-1962, named in 2007, recalls the event. The 105 m platforms have honey-coloured faience advertising frames and yellow Motte seats.
Around Charonne
- Église Saint-Germain-de-Charonne, 950 m away — A rare Paris church with its own adjoining cemetery, a remnant of a former wine-growing village.
- Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, 600 m away — Paris's largest cemetery, the final resting place of Chopin, Édith Piaf and Jim Morrison.
- Rue de Bagnolet, 400 m away — A picturesque street retaining the village feel of the former rural Charonne.