Rambuteau: station history
Served by: metro line 11.
Did you know?
A line 11 station in the 3rd arrondissement, under rue Rambuteau, between Hôtel de Ville and Arts et Métiers. The street was cut through in 1834 and bears the name of Claude-Philibert Barthelot de Rambuteau, prefect of the Seine from 1833 to 1848. The line's initial route ran under rue du Temple, but it was abandoned. The station is close to the Centre Pompidou.
Anecdote
The platforms were raised and tiled when line 11 switched to MP 14 rubber-tyred trains. One of the entrances is decorated with a green « Ouï-dire », the playful, colourful sound features of the RATP. In the film « Sauver ou périr » (2018), « Rambuteau » plates were installed at Porte des Lilas - Cinéma to shoot a scene.
Audio guide
Centre Pompidou: Notre Dame de la Raffinerie!
In 1971, an international competition brought together 681 projects. The winners, Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, are under 40 and are almost unknown. Their radical idea: turn the building over like a glove. Structure, stairs, ducts... everything goes outside, to free fully modular interior trays. 🔧
Each color has its function: blue for air, green for water, yellow for electricity, red for circulation. On the facade, the escalator's large glass caterpillar offers a bird 's-eye view of the rooftops of Paris.
The idea came from President Georges Pompidou; the project of Renzo Piano, Richard Rogers and Gianfranco Franchini was selected in 1971 from 681 applications, with the engineer Peter Rice. Valéry Giscard d 'Estaing inaugurated it on 31 January 1977.
In 1983, the Stravinsky Fountain, with sculptures by Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint Phalle, opened nearby.
Nicknamed "Notre-Dame de la Raffinerie" by its detractors, the Centre Pompidou has become one of the most visited cultural venues in France. Now closed for five years of renovation, it will reopen in 2030.
Around Rambuteau
- Fontaine Stravinsky, 230 m away — Made in 1983 on place Igor-Stravinsky by Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint Phalle, it has 16 sculptures evoking the composer's music, such as The Firebird. Renovated, it was reinaugurated on 7 November 2023.
- Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme, 220 m away — One of the world's most important collections related to Judaism, housed in the Marais's Hôtel de Saint-Aignan.
- Centre Pompidou, 110 m away — A modern art museum with bold architecture, pipes and structures exposed on the building's exterior.
- Musée Picasso, 750 m away — A museum in a Marais mansion, home to the world's largest collection of Picasso's works.
- Marché des Enfants Rouges, 700 m away — The oldest covered market in Paris, opened in 1615, known for its gourmet stalls from around the world.