Maison Blanche: origin of the name and station history
Served by: metro lines 7 and 14.
Why this name?
Opened on 7 March 1930 with the extension of line 10 from Place d'Italie to Porte de Choisy, the station was transferred to line 7 on 26 April 1931; line 14 opened to the public there on 24 June 2024. It takes its name from the Maison-Blanche district, itself named after an inn called « Maison Blanche ». Porte d'Italie is about 250 m away. When it opened, there was a connection with the Petite Ceinture station, closed to passengers in 1934.
Anecdote
Above the station, Ned Kahn's artwork « River of air » is a sail 70 m long and 6 m wide, made of 18,600 flexible ETFE leaves that ripple in the wind and reflect sunlight, on 10 m masts. Günter Grass's novel The Tin Drum (1960) is partly set in the station, where the hero spots the inspectors who have come to arrest him.
Around Maison Blanche
- Manufacture des Gobelins, 950 m away — A royal workshop founded in the 17th century that still weaves exceptional tapestries for the French state today.
- Place d'Italie, 600 m away — A vast crossroads in the 13th arrondissement, the gateway to Paris's Chinatown.
- Parc Kellermann, 800 m away — A peaceful park on the edge of the ring road, valued for its lawns and views.