Plaisance: origin of the name and station history
Served by: metro line 13.
Why this name?
A line 13 metro station, in the 14th arrondissement, opened with the first section of the former line 14 between Porte de Vanves and Bienvenüe (now Montparnasse - Bienvenüe), later passed to line 13. Its name comes from the Plaisance district, a name popularised in the mid-19th century to attract land buyers, recalling the old hamlet of Plaisance. Of standard layout, two platforms separated by the tracks under an elliptical vault, the lower part of the walls is vertical rather than elliptical, because of the reduced width of the street above.
Anecdote
The station has five entrances. Entrances 1 to 4 are decorated with a balustrade and a Dervaux lamp post; entrance 5, rue Raymond-Losserand - Hôpitaux, is an escalator reserved for exit from the platform towards Châtillon - Montrouge. The advertising frames are honey-coloured ceramic with plant motifs and the seats are blue "Motte" style. The jardin Chérifa, facing entrance 4, is also called jardin Alésia - Raymond-Losserand; impasse Florimont, where Georges Brassens lived from 1944 to 1966, is nearby.
Around Plaisance
- Parc Georges-Brassens, 1050 m away — A park laid out on the site of the former Vaugirard slaughterhouses, with a vineyard and climbing rocks.
- Rue Raymond-Losserand, 350 m away — A lively shopping street in the 14th arrondissement, lined with local shops.
- Place de Catalogne, 800 m away — A modern square with a distinctive circular design, created by Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill.