Monceau: origin of the name and station history
Served by: metro line 2.
Why this name?
A line 2 station, located under boulevard de Courcelles, at place de la République-Dominicaine, on the edge of parc Monceau, at the border of the 17th arrondissement. It owes its name to the park, which refers to the former village of Monceau, a hamlet in the 15th century. It opened with the Étoile - Anvers section of line 2 North. Its only entrance is decorated with a Guimard edicule, listed as a historic monument, near the barrière de la rotonde de Chartres.
Anecdote
The station has a standard layout, with two platforms separated by the tracks, an elliptical vault, bevelled white tiles and green « coque » seats in the Motte style. On an April Fool's day, the RATP replaced half of the name plates on the platforms, as in twelve other stations: Monceau became « Ma pelle ». It is served by bus line 30.
Around Monceau
- Parc Monceau, 80 m away — A park created for the Duke of Chartres and finished in 1779 by Carmontelle, who laid out follies including an Egyptian pyramid, a Roman colonnade and a Dutch windmill. In 1797 Garnerin made the first silk parachute jump here.
- Musée Cernuschi, 350 m away — A museum of Asian arts housed in a 19th-century mansion on the edge of Parc Monceau.
- Musée Nissim de Camondo, 350 m away — An early 20th-century mansion preserved intact, a showcase of refined French art de vivre.