Couronnes: origin of the name and station history
Served by: metro line 2.
Why this name?
The station takes its name from rue des Couronnes, itself named after the place name « Les Couronnes-sous-Savies », which crosses the line above the station. It lies under boulevard de Belleville, on the border of the 11th and 20th arrondissements. Its single entrance opens onto the central reservation of the boulevard, opposite no. 37. It is served by bus lines 20, 71 and 96, and by night buses N12 and N23.
Anecdote
On 10 August 1903, a fire broke out in an empty train stopped between Couronnes and Ménilmontant: most of the 84 victims died of asphyxiation in the station. There was then no emergency exit or emergency electrical circuit, and the trains were made of wood. The source calls it the deadliest accident in Paris metro history, and the station still has only one exit.
Around Couronnes
- Parc de Belleville, 700 m away — A sloped park offering one of the finest free panoramas over Paris, from the heights of the 20th arrondissement.
- Rue Denoyez, 750 m away — An alley entirely covered in murals and graffiti, a hotspot of Parisian street art.
- Marché Belleville, 500 m away — A popular, cosmopolitan market, one of the liveliest and most affordable in eastern Paris.