Browse Topics
Tools
Editor's choice

Mysterious City of Gods comes to City of Light

Some 450 pre-Columbian pieces in Quai Branly museum.

France country factbook

Includes geography, people, government, economy and transnational issues.

Scandals from the 'The Wild West of Politics'

Basil Howitt on criminal investigations in the coastal resorts.

Renting in Paris

Useful information on renting accommodation in Paris.

Moving your marriage abroad

Relocating can have a big impact on your relationship.

Internaxx Stock Market
Index Last Var.(%)
BEL 20 2119.3 0.50
DAX 5252.45 1.50
IBEX 30 10726.8 0.59
CAC 40 3377.59 1.40
FTSE 100 4564.5 0.79
AEX 276.85 0.95
DJIA 9096.72 -0.13
Nasdaq 1975.51 0.39
FTSE MIB 20341.67 1.65
TSX Composite 10570.54 -1.74
ASX 4148.9 -0.60
Hang seng 20135.5 -2.37
Straits Times 0.00
ISEQ 20 442.48 0.27
You are here: Home Leisure Travel & Tourism Around and about Paris - the 20th arr., Belleville

25/07/2008Around and about Paris - the 20th arr., Belleville

Thirza Vallois' historical and cultural tour of Paris continues in the 20th arrondissement, in 'a troublesome neighbourhood'.

To innocent ears the name Belleville may simply suggest a place of beauty, but to respectable Parisians it sent a shudder down the spine: "The lowest depths of wretchedness and of hate where ceaselessly seethe the ferments of envy, laziness and anger."

Honest housewives of eastern Paris, determined to safeguard their respectability, protested vehemently that they were not from Belleville but from Ménilmontant, which was just a little further south but less squalid in reputation. For Belleville was a troublesome neighbourhood which disturbed the peace of mind of the affluent and the secure: "We hope that tonight Belleville will be willing to let France sleep," wrote the Moniteur Universel following the defeat of the Commune. Fortunately, Belleville was tucked away at the easternmost end of the city, clinging to a steep hill 128.5 metres high, a world apart to the relief of bourgeois Paris.

And yet, in pre-industrial days this was a land of bliss, invigorated by fresh air, bathed in sunlight and watered by more rivulets and springs than the world-renowned hill of Montmartre, "a green dress crowned by lilacs", according to some poet. Neat strips of vineyards clung to its sunny slopes, alternating with fruit orchards and wild flowers. A windmill here and there completed the charming picture, which extended all the way south to the village of Charonne. Even the high and the mighty frequented or had footholds in Belleville, Henri IV, Richelieu, Mazarin among them. In the 17th century the Duchesse d'Orléans, Louis XIV's sister-in-law, was the landlady of the Château de Bagnolet, and in the 18th century, the legitimised daughter of Louis XIV and the Montespan and wife of the Regent was so fond of the estate that she was willing to pay three times their value for the adjoining grounds. In order to bypass the cumbersome high street of Bagnolet, full of bustling taverns and crammed with wine-laden carts, she opened a beautiful, broad avenue shaded on either side by two rows of trees, and named it l'Allée de Madame (now rue des Orteaux).

0 reactions to this article

participate in the forums
ask your question
find the business you need
Discussion Forums

FR Community Noticeboard

Open Casting for Film, by candid_casting

Housing

sell my two bedroom flat in dubai, by dubai

Healthcare

Carte Vitale, by papa_pingouin_

Jobs

the right of an employée in France, by papa_pingouin_

Relocation

American TV Show needs English-Speaking buyers and agents in Europe, by Classic French Chateaux

participate in the forums

Inside Expatica
Do the recent healthcare changes affect you?

Do the recent healthcare changes affect you?

Our expert Steven Grover delves into the murky waters of French healthcare for expats and asks how recent changes affect them?

Assurance Vie - An expatriate’s guide

Assurance Vie - An expatriate’s guide

Tax and estate planning figure prominently in the list of priorities of many financially secure expatriate residents of France.

Clubs, groups and associations in France

Clubs, groups and associations in France

From Gaelic clubs to Canadian Alumni organisations, there is bound to be an English-speaking club for you in France.

Should I buy or rent in France?

Should I buy or rent in France?

This is what you need to consider when making an early choice between purchasing or renting accommodation in France.