Poissonnière: origin of the name and station history
Served by: metro line 7.
Why this name?
The station, on the border of the 9th and 10th arrondissements, takes its name from rue du Faubourg-Poissonnière, which it crosses in the middle. That street itself owes its name to the Poissonnière suburb and was part of the old chemin des Poissonniers (fishmongers' road): as early as 1307, merchants brought North Sea fish along it to the central markets of Paris. It opened with the first section of line 7, between Opéra and Porte de la Villette. Rue La Fayette, rue de Bellefond and rue de Chabrol are very close.
Anecdote
For the 60th anniversary of Asterix and Obelix, the RATP temporarily replaced half of the platform name plates: the station name stayed the same, but the lettering was that of the comic books, with the portrait of Unhygienix, the fishmonger of the Gaulish village.
Around Poissonnière
- Grands Boulevards, 400 m away — The Grands Boulevards follow the line of old city walls, razed around 1660: the Nouveau Cours was built from 1674 to 1705. A tree-lined promenade, they welcomed theatres, dance halls and restaurants. Gas lighting arrived in 1826.
- Rue des Petites Écuries, 350 m away — A cosmopolitan street known for its varied restaurants and friendly atmosphere.
- Cité Bergère, 400 m away — A discreet 19th-century passage, a haven of calm in the heart of a lively district.