Tuileries: origin of the name and station history
Served by: metro line 1.
Why this name?
A line 1 station in the 1st arrondissement, under rue de Rivoli, north of the Tuileries garden, between Concorde and Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre. It takes its name from the garden and the former palace, itself built on old « tuileries », tile factories. A 15-metre crypt was added at the end, between May 1963 and December 1964, to lengthen the platforms and take six-car trains.
Anecdote
Two Guimard edicules listed as historic monuments face each other at nos. 206 and 210 rue de Rivoli, although only one serves as an entrance to the station. The decorative panels for the line's centenary were replaced in May 2023 by a plant fresco by Cyprien Chabert, installed for seven years.
Audio guide
The Tuileries Palace disappeared, its garden a legacy
The name "Tuileries" comes from the tile factories of the Middle Ages. In 1564, Catherine de Medici launched the construction of a palace, where Louis XVI lived, then the two Napoleons.
On the night of 23-24 May 1871, during the Commune, the palace was set on fire. Its ruins were razed in 1883: the Louvre opens to the west and the perspective to the Arc de Triomphe emerges.
The garden, redesigned by Le Nôtre in 1664, has survived. And it was from there that, on December 1, 1783, Jacques Charles and Nicolas-Louis Robert flew away in a hydrogen balloon, before the eyes of a huge crowd. Two hours later, they landed in Nesles-la-Vallée, more than 25 km away.
Today, there are pools, statues and famous chairs. The arch of the Carrousel, former portal of the palace, recalls what has disappeared.
Around Tuileries
- Jardin des Tuileries, 150 m away — A garden begun in 1564 for Catherine de' Medici and redesigned in 1664 by Le Nôtre around a central path and two basins. Listed as a historic monument in 1914, it broadly keeps that layout.
- Pont Royal, 450 m away — Entirely financed by Louis XIV, hence its name, it was built from 1685 on Hardouin-Mansart's plans by Jacques Gabriel and François Romain. Its five arches span from 20.80 to 23.40 m. It was listed as a historic monument in 1939.
- Angelina, 50 m away — A Belle Époque tea house from 1903 facing the Tuileries, famous for its thick hot chocolate known as "l'Africain" and its Mont-Blanc cake.
- Musée de l'Orangerie, 400 m away — A museum home to Claude Monet's famous Water Lilies, displayed in two specially designed oval rooms.
- Place Vendôme, 350 m away — A 17th-century royal square lined with prestigious jewellers, dominated by the Vendôme column erected by Napoleon.