Daumesnil: origin of the name and station history
Served by: metro lines 6 and 8.
Why this name?
The station takes its name from the former place Daumesnil and avenue Daumesnil, in tribute to Baron and Empire general Pierre Daumesnil (1776-1832); its subtitle « Félix Éboué » takes the new name of the square, honouring Félix Éboué (1884-1944), colonial administrator, Resistance fighter and politician. It is shared by lines 6 and 8, in the Picpus district; the line 6 tunnel passes over the line 8 one. Line 6 opened there with the first section between Place d'Italie and Nation.
Anecdote
Until 1969, there was a street-level connection with the former Reuilly station, on the Vincennes line. On line 8 the station fully keeps the blue Andreu-Motte style, with blue Motte seats and flat tiles on the tympana, on 105 m platforms, against 75 m on line 6. The avenue Daumesnil entrance is a Guimard pavilion listed as a historic monument, and the corridors were renovated on 29 June 2014 under the « Un métro + beau » programme.
Around Daumesnil
- Coulée verte René-Dumont, 600 m away — A 4.7-km linear park inaugurated in 1993 on the former railway line from Bastille to Verneuil-l'Étang, closed in 1969. It is presented as the first project in the world to turn old elevated railway lines into an urban garden.
- Viaduc des Arts, 1250 m away — A former railway viaduct converted into a gallery of craft workshops beneath its arches.
- Bois de Vincennes, 1450 m away — Paris's largest green space, reachable on foot from this line 8 station.