Mirabeau: origin of the name and station history
Served by: metro line 10.
Why this name?
The station takes its name from rue Mirabeau, under which it lies, and from the nearby Mirabeau bridge, both honouring Honoré-Gabriel Riqueti de Mirabeau (1749-1791), a figure of the French Revolution. It is in the 16th arrondissement, close to the Seine, which marks the boundary with the 15th, between Chardon-Lagache and Javel - André Citroën, at the eastern end of the Auteuil loop. It opened with the first extension of line 8 to Porte d'Auteuil, before moving to line 10. Its main entrance, on place de Barcelone, is a Guimard pavilion listed as a historic monument.
Anecdote
The station has an unusual profile: a single 75 m side platform, and the track towards Boulogne - Pont de Saint-Cloud runs through it on a ramp before reaching Église d'Auteuil by a tunnel cut right at the level of the vault. This layout is explained by the great depth of the line after the Seine and by the need to get round the foundations of the church of Notre-Dame-d'Auteuil. The second entrance, rue Mirabeau, has one of the few Val d'Osne lamp-posts left on the network.
Around Mirabeau
- Maison de Radio France, 750 m away — An iconic circular building housing the headquarters of French public radio.
- Pont Mirabeau, 300 m away — An early 20th-century metal bridge, celebrated in Apollinaire's poem of the same name.
- Bois de Boulogne, 1800 m away — A vast 850-hectare wood west of Paris, laid out in the 19th century in the style of London's parks.