Sully-Morland: station history
Served by: metro line 7.
Did you know?
The station was first called « Pont Sully », after the Sully bridge and street, which honour Maximilien de Béthune, Duke of Sully (1559-1641), friend and minister of Henri IV; his Paris mansion stood nearby. « Morland » was added in 1930 or 1931, after boulevard Morland, dedicated to François-Louis de Morlan, known as Morland, colonel of the Chasseurs de la Garde (1771-1805). Lying under quai des Célestins, in the 4th arrondissement, between Pont Marie and Jussieu, it was the temporary southern terminus of line 7.
Anecdote
It is the first station on line 7 with 105 m platforms, designed for seven-car trains, a plan that never materialised. To the south, the line crosses the Seine over 678 m, with a 40 ‰ gradient towards Jussieu, after a 90-degree bend. François Mitterrand explained to Georges-Marc Benamou that Morland was one of his Resistance pseudonyms, formed from the start and end of his real surname, chosen in the fashion of metro station names.
Around Sully-Morland
- Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal, 200 m away — Former residence of the Grand Masters of the Artillery, made a public library in 1797. Charles Nodier, librarian from 1824, held literary salons here; the reading room dates from the Second Empire.
- Hôtel de Sully, 350 m away — A magnificent 17th-century mansion in the heart of Le Marais, once home to Henri IV's minister.
- Île Saint-Louis, 400 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.
- Jardin Saint-Paul, 900 m away — A garden tucked against a remnant of the Philippe Auguste wall, a calm haven in Le Marais.