Picpus: origin of the name and station history
Served by: metro line 6.
Why this name?
The station was first called « Saint-Mandé », after avenue de Saint-Mandé, which led to the commune of the same name; it was renamed Picpus to avoid confusion with the Tourelle station on the eastern extension of line 1 (now Saint-Mandé). The name comes from boulevard de Picpus, linked to the former hamlet of Pique-Puce. The subtitle « Courteline » recalls the writer Georges Courteline (1858-1929), whose real name was Georges Moinaux, author of satirical comedies. It opened with the first section of line 6, between Place d'Italie and Nation.
Anecdote
Its single entrance, on avenue de Saint-Mandé, is topped by a Guimard pavilion listed as a historic monument. The station is mentioned in several songs: « La petite puce » by Sacha Distel (1966), « Les gens sont fous » by Renan Luce (2009) and « Métro » by the band Java (2000). The Picpus cemetery, where General La Fayette lies, is close by.
Around Picpus
- Cimetière de Picpus, 220 m away — A private cemetery containing the mass grave of Terror victims and the tomb of Lafayette.
- Bois de Vincennes, 1300 m away — Paris's largest green space, with a lake, zoo and racecourse, reachable from this station.
- Place de la Nation, 700 m away — A vast square adorned with the Triumph of the Republic statue, one of the largest in Paris.