Étienne Marcel: origin of the name and station history
Served by: metro line 4.
Why this name?
Opened on 21 April 1908 on line 4, the station takes its name from rue Étienne-Marcel, which honours the provost of the merchants of Paris, born around 1315 and died in Paris in 1358, who played an important role in the Estates General of 1355 and 1357. It lies on the border of the 1st and 2nd arrondissements, under rue de Turbigo, and has only one entrance, opposite no. 14 of that street. Its layout is standard: two platforms separated by the tracks, under an elliptical vault.
Anecdote
In 1966-1967, the platforms were lengthened by 15 metres on the north-east side to take six-car rubber-tyred trains; their end is now in a slight curve. During the automation of line 4, they were then raised to receive platform screen doors. Bus lines 29 and 38 also serve the area, between rue de Turbigo and rue Étienne-Marcel.
Audio guide
Maison Nicolas Flamel, the oldest house in Paris
What we know: around 1400, Flamel was a public writer and bookseller near Saint-Jacques-la-Boucherie. He copies manuscripts, writes deeds and marries Pernelle, a wealthy widow. He made his fortune in real estate, then financed churches, hospitals and housing for the poorest. He died in 1418.
On the other hand, there is no evidence that he ever searched for the philosopher's stone. The legend was born in the seventeenth century, with a treatise on alchemy published under his name, and runs all the way to Harry Potter.
Remains a very real trace: at 51 rue de Montmorency, the house he built in 1407. Modest families lodged there at low prices, with the responsibility of praying every day for the deceased. More than 600 years later, it is the oldest house in Paris.
The house was built in 1407, at 51 rue de Montmorency, in the Marais. Its facade also bears an engraved inscription: "We men and women farmers or porch of this house...". It served as accommodation for the poorest, who could dine and sleep there in exchange for prayers. In 1900, it lost its large sprocket. It now houses a restaurant.
Around Étienne Marcel
- Tour Jean-sans-Peur, 130 m away — A unique remnant of a 15th-century medieval mansion, the only feudal tower still visible in Paris.
- Forum des Halles, 190 m away — A vast underground shopping centre built on the site of Paris's former central market.
- Bourse de Commerce, 300 m away — A former 18th-century circular building converted into a contemporary art museum by the Pinault Collection.