Pont Marie: origin of the name and station history
Served by: metro line 7.
Why this name?
In the 4th arrondissement, on the bank of the Seine, between Châtelet and Sully - Morland, the line 7 station owes its name to the pont Marie, built in 1614 on the initiative of the engineer-contractor Christophe Marie. Its subtitle, « Cité des Arts », refers to the Cité internationale des arts, an artists' residence for all specialities and nationalities opened in 1965. It was the southern terminus of line 7, replacing Palais Royal, before the extension to Pont Sully.
Anecdote
Two fixed staircases, back to back, open onto the central reservation of place du Bataillon-Français-de-l'ONU-en-Corée, facing the Cité des arts; one of them, on quai de l'Hôtel-de-Ville, is decorated with a Dervaux lamp post. The Gaudin-style decoration combines bevelled white tiles, honey-coloured tile advertising frames and yellow Akiko seats.
Audio guide
The Holocaust Memorial, not to forget
April 1943, in the midst of the Occupation: Isaac Schneersohn clandestinely founded the Center for Contemporary Jewish Documentation (CDJC) in Grenoble. His idea: gather evidence of the persecution of the Jews now, without waiting for the end of the war.
Based in Paris after the Liberation, the CDJC makes its documents available to the judiciary. During the Nuremberg trial (1945-1946), the French prosecution relied on Nazi documents gathered by it: orders, reports and lists on raids and deportations. These papers help establish the crime. ⚖️
Today, rue Geoffroy-l'Asnier, in the heart of the Marais, the Memorial inaugurated in 2005 preserves these archives. Its Wall of Names recalls those of 76,000 Jews deported from France.
Around Pont Marie
- Hôtel de Sens, 100 m away — A mansion built from 1475 to 1519 for the archbishops of Sens. The Forney library, devoted to decorative arts and craft trades, has been housed here since 1961. A cannonball from 1830 remains lodged in the facade.
- Pont Marie, 30 m away — Opened in 1635 after work begun in 1614 by Christophe Marie, this five-arch stone bridge carried houses until the 18th century. The flood of 1658 swept away two arches, rebuilt in 1670.
- Île Saint-Louis, 240 m away — Formed by joining two islets, it was developed from 1614 by Christophe Marie. Nicknamed the "island of palaces" for its mansions, including the Hôtel Lambert, it is also home to the Berthillon ice-cream parlour.
- Berges de Seine, 800 m away — Quays converted into a pedestrian promenade, popular for waterside strolls.