Ledru-Rollin: origin of the name and station history
Served by: metro line 8.
Why this name?
The station takes its name from avenue Ledru-Rollin, which honours the lawyer and politician Alexandre Auguste Ledru-Rollin (1807-1874). It lies on the border of the 11th and 12th arrondissements, between the Sainte-Marguerite district to the north and the Quinze-Vingts to the south, under rue du Faubourg-Saint-Antoine, between Bastille and Faidherbe - Chaligny. It opened with the third extension of line 8, from the temporary terminus Richelieu - Drouot to Porte de Charenton.
Anecdote
It is one of the three prototypes of the Andreu-Motte style, with Pont-Neuf (line 7) and Voltaire (line 9): its components were tested on the platforms from 1974. Its decor remains blue, with blue light strips and blue Motte seats, but the flat blue tiles of the tympana were replaced by bevelled white tiles during the « Renouveau du métro » programme.
Around Ledru-Rollin
- Coulée verte René-Dumont, 500 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.
- Marché d'Aligre, 240 m away — A market open every morning except Monday, with a covered hall, the marché Beauvau, and an open-air market along rue d'Aligre. The hall was built in 1779 by Lenoir, then rebuilt in 1843.
- Place d'Aligre, 250 m away — A square in the 12th arrondissement: the covered hall of the marché Beauvau fills its west half, the open-air market and the antique dealers its east half. The "Commune libre d'Aligre" association enlivens the neighbourhood.