Porte de Versailles: origin of the name and station history
Served by: metro line 12.
Why this name?
The station takes its name from the former gate cut in the Thiers wall, on the border of Paris and Issy-les-Moulineaux, facing Versailles; its subtitle « Parc des Expositions de Paris » recalls the proximity of the exhibition park. It opened with the first section of Nord-Sud line A, of which it was the southern terminus, but the Nord-Sud operated it for just one day, the eve of its absorption by the CMP. It lies under the square, whose central reservation is called « Esplanade du 9-Novembre-1989 », after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Anecdote
The vault tiles are the last traces of the original station, whose two side platforms disappeared during the extension to Mairie d'Issy; it now has three platform tracks, the westernmost often used for stabling. Exits 3 and 4, with slightly curved staircases, are rare on the network. With Pasteur and Porte de Clichy, it is one of three stations combining the Nord-Sud style and the softened Motte style on their platforms.
Around Porte de Versailles
- Parc des expositions, 350 m away — Paris's largest exhibition centre, hosting trade and public shows year-round.
- Parc Georges-Brassens, 900 m away — A park laid out on the site of the former Vaugirard slaughterhouses, with a vineyard, climbing rocks and a book market.
- Aquaboulevard, 850 m away — A large water and leisure complex, one of the biggest water amusement parks in the Île-de-France region.