Front Populaire: origin of the name and station history
Served by: metro line 12.
Why this name?
Inaugurated and opened on the same day, the station is named after the left-wing coalition that governed France from 1936 to 1938, a name proposed by Jacques Salvator in 2006. It was first called « Proudhon - Gardinoux », after the junction of rue Proudhon and rue des Gardinoux; elected officials had proposed Aimé Césaire, which the RATP refused, the name being given to the next station. It is the 301st station of the Paris metro, in the heart of the Plaine Saint-Denis, with the Campus Condorcet nearby.
Anecdote
Dug in the open at 20 m deep behind diaphragm walls, it was flooded on 15 July 2010 so that the tunnel boring machine « Élodie » could enter. A large glass roof lights it partly with natural light, and heat pumps exploit the tunnel's constant temperature.
Around Front Populaire
- Marché aux Puces de Saint-Ouen, 1600 m away — The world's largest antiques and secondhand market, gathering thousands of dealers.
- Grande Halle de la Villette, 2200 m away — Former cattle hall built from 1865 to 1867 by Jules de Mérindol, a pupil of Baltard: 245 m long, 85 m wide, in iron and cast-iron framework. Renovated in 1983-1985, it hosts shows and fairs.