Olympiades: origin of the name and station history
Served by: metro line 14.
Why this name?
The station opened on 26 June 2007 with the extension of line 14 from Bibliothèque François-Mitterrand, and is the 9th station opened on the line. Its name comes from the Olympiades group of buildings and its raised concourse, where each tower is named after a city that hosted the Olympic Games; the choice caused tension between the RATP, the City of Paris and the French National Olympic and Sports Committee, which owns the brand, before an agreement in early July 2006 allowed its use within public transport. It serves the Olympiades district, part of the Choisy triangle.
Anecdote
Planned as early as 1989 in the Meteor project, under the name « Tolbiac - Nationale », it did not open in 1998 for budgetary reasons, although its structure had already been built. A ground subsidence on 15 February 2003 in the courtyard of the Auguste-Perret school, caused by the tunnelling, delayed the works by nearly a year. The station was designed by the firm ar.thème associés, with orange lighting cast on its eastern tympanum.
Around Olympiades
- Bibliothèque nationale de France, 950 m away — The François-Mitterrand site, opened to the public in 1996 and designed by Dominique Perrault. Its 12,000 m² inner garden, closed to the public, holds pines from the forêt de Bord transplanted as mature trees.
- Quartier chinois, 160 m away — One of the largest Chinatowns in Europe, known for its Asian restaurants and shops.
- Dalle des Olympiades, 190 m away — A vast elevated pedestrian esplanade, surrounded by iconic 1970s tower blocks.