Jaurès: station history
Served by: metro lines 2, 5 and 7 bis.
Did you know?
The name Jaurès was adopted on 1 August 1914, a few days after the assassination of Jean Jaurès and at the start of the First World War; it replaced « Rue d'Allemagne » (Germany Street), by then out of favour. Shared by lines 2, 5 and 7 bis, the station is on the border of the 10th and 19th arrondissements: elevated on line 2, above boulevard de la Villette, underground on lines 5 (under avenue Jean-Jaurès) and 7 bis (under avenue Secrétan). Line 2 crosses the Canal Saint-Martin at this point.
Anecdote
On the line 2 platform towards Nation, stained glass by Jacques-Antoine Ducatez (1989), in blue, white and red, evokes the storming of the Bastille and the quais de Valmy and de Jemmapes, and pays tribute to Jean Jaurès. Ivy was planted there in 2017 as part of the greening of RATP spaces. On line 5, the brown advertising frames topped with an « M » are found in only seven other stations.
Around Jaurès
- Bassin de la Villette, 300 m away — Filled with water on 2 December 1808, this basin is the end of the Ourcq canal, created by a decree of Napoleon in 1802, and the starting point of the Canal Saint-Martin.
- Canal de l'Ourcq, 1300 m away — Created by a decree of Napoleon on 19 May 1802, this 108.1-km canal brings the Ourcq's water to the Villette basin. Reserved for non-drinking uses since 1983, it also serves pleasure boating.
- Rotonde de la Villette, 260 m away — A former 18th-century toll house designed by architect Ledoux, now a cultural venue.