Rue des Boulets: station history
Served by: metro line 9.
Did you know?
The station was first called Rue des Boulets - Rue de Montreuil, before being simplified to Boulets - Montreuil, then taking its present name in 1998 to avoid confusion with the commune of Montreuil, served by the same line. As for the origin of « Boulets », the most likely hypothesis points to a type of coal sold in pellets, easier to carry and store, used in many cities in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The street already appears under this name on the Jouvin de Rochefort map of 1672. The station lies in the Sainte-Marguerite district, between Charonne and Nation.
Anecdote
The Nation terminus of line 2 is connected just before the station, in the direction of Pont de Sèvres. The three entrances have wrought-iron railings in the 1930s Dervaux style, but the original interwar bevelled faience disappeared during the « Renouveau du métro » renovation.
Around Rue des Boulets
- Coulée verte René-Dumont, 1100 m away — A 4.7-km linear park inaugurated in 1993 on the former railway line from Bastille to Verneuil-l'Étang, closed in 1969. It is presented as the first project in the world to turn old elevated railway lines into an urban garden.
- Marché d'Aligre, 950 m away — A market open every morning except Monday, with a covered hall, the marché Beauvau, and an open-air market along rue d'Aligre. The hall was built in 1779 by Lenoir, then rebuilt in 1843.
- Rue de Montreuil, 400 m away — A lively shopping street in the 11th arrondissement, lined with local shops.