Richard-Lenoir: station history
Served by: metro line 5.
Did you know?
Boulevard Richard-Lenoir honours the manufacturer François Richard-Lenoir (1765-1839), who had been the partner of Joseph Lenoir-Dufresne (1768-1806) and partly took over his name after his death, in memory of the business they had founded together. The station is in the Saint-Ambroise district; the Canal Saint-Martin runs through a tunnel there, and square Richard-Lenoir, the jardin Truillot and the Comédie Bastille are close. It opened with the second extension of line 5, from Place Mazas to Lancry.
Anecdote
Its main entrance, on the boulevard Voltaire side, is a Guimard pavilion listed as a historic monument. The green platforms follow the Andreu-Motte style, with green light strips and white tiles laid in columns, and look very much like those of Bréguet - Sabin.
Around Richard-Lenoir
- Marché Bastille, 750 m away — One of the largest food markets in Paris, held on Boulevard Richard-Lenoir.
- Place de la Bastille, 850 m away — A symbolic square of the French Revolution, dominated by the Colonne de Juillet and the Opéra Bastille.
- Cirque d'Hiver, 400 m away — A circular performance hall built in 1852, still active today for circus shows and concerts.