Laumière: origin of the name and station history
Served by: metro line 5.
Why this name?
The station takes its name from avenue de Laumière, which honours the artillery general Xavier Jean Marie Clément Vernhet de Laumière (1812-1863). It lies in the 19th arrondissement, under avenue Jean-Jaurès, between Ourcq and Jaurès, and opened with the penultimate extension of line 5, from Gare du Nord to Église de Pantin. The original « Meynadier » project would have placed it under place Armand-Carrel, to serve the 19th arrondissement town hall, on a winding route; it was dropped in favour of a straight route.
Anecdote
It combines the green Andreu-Motte style with copper-coloured faience advertising frames with geometric patterns, topped with an « M », in the CMP style of the 1940s. Only seven other stations have them, including Jaurès and Stalingrad, and with Stalingrad it is one of only two to pair them with Andreu-Motte. On an April Fools' Day, the RATP renamed it « Qui a éteint la Laumière ? » (« Who turned off the light? »).
Around Laumière
- Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, 550 m away — A park opened on 1 April 1867, the day of the Universal Exposition, designed by Alphand. Davioud's Temple de la Sibylle stands about 50 m above the lake, which is crossed by a 63-metre suspension bridge designed by Eiffel.
- Rosa Bonheur, 750 m away — A friendly open-air café-bar in the park, known for its outdoor dance evenings.
- Rue de Crimée, 550 m away — A lively street linking Buttes-Chaumont to the Canal de l'Ourcq, lined with local shops.