December 2021
I am all for walking in Paris, I love getting lost, I think that is what Paris is all about. If I need to get crosstown I prefer the bus, you can look out the windows and see the world. But…sometimes the Metro is the only way to get where you are going, and if you stop to enjoy the art in some of the stations, and underground ride can be great too.
So much has been written about the entryways to most of the Paris Metro Stations, so here is the stuff people don’t write about.
Bastille Metro Station – Line 1
The Bastille was taken in July, 1789 and torn apart stone by stone. What now exists is the Place de la Bastille.
The Bastille Metro station was inaugurated on July 19, 1900 with the opening of Line 1
The tiles that line the platform of Line 1 are by ceramists Lilian Belembert and Odile Jacquot, done in 1989 to commemorate the bicentenary of the French Revolution.
Concorde
Line 1
On the platform of Line 1 in the Concorde Station is the first public artwork of the International Network of Human Rights Projects by artist Francoise Schein, done in 1991.
The subway is covered by the text of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen from the French Revolution.
All of the spaces and punctuation is removed making the piece a giant puzzle of arbitrarily placed letters.
“Men are born and remain free and equal in rights”. – Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen of 1789.
Tuileries
Line 1
The Tuileries station is covered with photos covering the past 11 decades, honoring major events in French history.
If you have more than a little time between stops, and can walk both sides of the tracks you will find the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Josephine Baker, Charles de Gaulle, Carl Lewis, and Nelson Mandela, as well as the Concorde, The Airbus A380, Chanel 5, Game Boy and Darth Vader.
The photos were installed to celebrate the Centenary of the Metro Parisien.
Pont-Neuf Station
Line 1
The Pont-Neuf station is near the Paris Mint, and is known as Pont-Neuf-La-Monnaie.
The decorations include oversized reproductions of coins that have been issued over the centuries.
There is also an old coin-making press
Liege Station
Many tourists don’t get as far as the Liege Station and it is difficult to navigate. There is only one track, one platform, and two trains, so one needs to really know what they are doing to navigate their way.
The tile murals are on the other side of the tracks from the platform and have to be viewed through a protective glass wall or the windows of the train if you are fortunate enough to sit on that side while riding.
This station was originally built in 1911 and called Rue de Berlin before WWI, it was renamed to honor the Belgian troops heroism in the Battle of Liege.
Nine monuments from the city of Liege grace the walls.
Porte de Pantin
Line 5
The musical notes on the walls of this metro station are related to the Cite de la Musique and Philharmonie de Paris, both located in the nearby Parc de la Villette.
Opera
I have already discussed the drawings found throughout the halls of the Opera Metro, but they are so fun I wanted to give them a little more due.
Titled Secrets of the Opera there are nearly 1000 silhouettes, inspired by the professions of the Opéra national de Paris. Randomly placed are QR codes, which sends you to a site where you can enjoy opera music.
Arts de Metier
Line 11
The platform at this station is entirely covered with riveted copper plates, and the portholes feel like a peek into Jules Verne’s Nautilus.
The station was rehabbed for the bicentennial of the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers. It is the work of Benoît Peeters, French screenwriter, and François Schuiten, Belgian designer, authors of the series Les Cités obscures.
On the station’s ceiling, a series of large cogs evokes the Musée des Arts et Métiers.
On the platforms, a series of portholes open onto small scenographies, centered on the museum’s collections.
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There are two museums, the Louvre and the Rodin that have also decorated their perspective Metro stops, but that is easy, to create what is above, takes a leap of faith, a sense of fun, and artists.
There are stops I missed, and stops yet to be decorated, but I enjoyed this little adventure underground.