Rue de la Huchette, Paris
Encyclopedia
The rue de la Huchette is one of Paris
' oldest Rive Gauche
streets. Running eastward just below the Seine
river from the Place Saint-Michel
, it is today an animated Latin Quarter
artery with one of the highest concentrations of restaurants in the city — Greek specialties predominating. It is situated between Boulevard Saint-Michel
and Rue Saint-Jacques
and faces the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris. This almost exclusively pedestrian street is very popular with tourists. Disdained by some guidebooks as "Bacteria Alley", the street nevertheless has an intense night life with no less than four pubs and many bars.
The inhabitants of la rue de la Huchette in the period leading up to the Second World War are portrayed in Elliot Paul
's book The Last Time I Saw Paris (1942). The period after the Second World War is covered in Paul's book Springtime in Paris (1950).
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
' oldest Rive Gauche
Rive Gauche
La Rive Gauche is the southern bank of the river Seine in Paris. Here the river flows roughly westward, cutting the city in two: looking downstream, the southern bank is to the left, and the northern bank is to the right....
streets. Running eastward just below the Seine
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
river from the Place Saint-Michel
Place Saint-Michel
The Place Saint-Michel is a public square in the Latin Quarter, on the borderline between the fifth and sixth arrondissements of Paris, France...
, it is today an animated Latin Quarter
Latin Quarter
Latin Quarter is a part of the 5th arrondissement in Paris.Latin Quarter may also refer to:* Latin Quarter , a British pop/rock band* Latin Quarter , a 1945 British film*Latin Quarter, Aarhus, part of Midtbyen, Aarhus C, Denmark...
artery with one of the highest concentrations of restaurants in the city — Greek specialties predominating. It is situated between Boulevard Saint-Michel
Boulevard Saint-Michel
The Boulevard Saint-Michel is one of the two major streets in the Latin Quarter of Paris . It is a tree-lined boulevard which runs south from the pont Saint-Michel on the Seine river and the Place Saint-Michel, crosses the boulevard Saint-Germain and continues alongside the Sorbonne and the...
and Rue Saint-Jacques
Rue Saint-Jacques
The rue Saint-Jacques , is a street in a number of cities, including:* Montreal: Rue Saint-Jacques * Paris: Rue Saint-Jacques, Paris...
and faces the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris. This almost exclusively pedestrian street is very popular with tourists. Disdained by some guidebooks as "Bacteria Alley", the street nevertheless has an intense night life with no less than four pubs and many bars.
History
The rue de la Huchette existed as early as 1200 as the rue de Laas, a road running adjacent to a walled vineyard property known then as the clos du Laas. The property was sold and divided for urban development in the early 13th century, grew many noble properties in the centuries following, but from the 17th century the rue de la Huchette was known mostly for its taverns and rotisseries ("meat-cookers").The inhabitants of la rue de la Huchette in the period leading up to the Second World War are portrayed in Elliot Paul
Elliot Paul
Elliot Harold Paul , was an American journalist and author.-Biography:Born in Linden, a part of Malden, Massachusetts, Elliot Paul graduated from Malden High School then worked in the U.S...
's book The Last Time I Saw Paris (1942). The period after the Second World War is covered in Paul's book Springtime in Paris (1950).
Origin of the name
From around 1284 the name of a house on the street belonging to the Notre-Dame chapter — À la Huchette d'Or — took the place of the former rue de Laas appellation. The obscure word "huchette" may derive from "hutchet", an old term for a bugle.Odd numbers
- 5 - Le Caveau de la HuchetteLe Caveau de la HuchetteLe Caveau de la Huchette is a jazz club in the Latin Quarter of Paris. The building dates to the sixteenth century, but became a jazz club in 1946...
, a sixteenth-century building, formerly a hotel (where Elliot PaulElliot PaulElliot Harold Paul , was an American journalist and author.-Biography:Born in Linden, a part of Malden, Massachusetts, Elliot Paul graduated from Malden High School then worked in the U.S...
lived in the 20s and 30s); since 1946, one of Paris's most famous jazz clubJazz clubA jazz club is a venue where the primary entertainment is the performance of live jazz music. Jazz clubs have been in large rooms in the eras of Orchestral jazz and big band jazz and when its popularity as a dance music was common...
s - 13 - Building whose ground floor was an office where, from 1684, apothicaires, or druggists, could find a boy nurse/assistant/coursier.
- 17 - Building's corner with the rue Xavier Privas engraved with street name and former arrondissement.
- 21 - Building dating from the Louis XV period.
Even numbers
- 4 - Building dating from 1729; its former sign "A la Hure d'Or" ("of the Golden Head") is still visible in its façade.
- 10 - Former "furnished apartment" house where Napoleon Bonaparte was said to have stayed between 1794-1795.
- 14 - Site of a shop of a 15th century needlemaker. Although the building dates from a later time, the "Y" signaling the shopowner's trade is still visible in a marble oval above the ground-floor façade. Also visible engraved into the stone at the building's corner with the Rue du Chat-qui-PêcheRue du Chat-qui-PêcheRue du Chat-qui-Pêche is considered the narrowest street in Paris. It is only 1.80m wide for the whole of its 29m length.It is located in the 5th arrondissement, on the Rive Gauche of the Seine, and runs from Quai Saint-Michel to Rue de la Huchette,...
is the street's name and former arrondissement number. - 16 - Building dating from the Louis XVI period.
Other attractions
The street is known for its collection of Greek restaurants. The maitre d's of these establishments often shatter cheap plates on the street in front of their doors to attract attention and entice tourists inside.Closest transport
- Métro line 4Paris Metro Line 4Line 4 is one of the sixteen lines of the Paris Métro rapid transit system. Situated entirely within the boundaries of the City of Paris, it connects Porte de Clignancourt in the north and Porte d'Orléans in the south, travelling across the heart of the city. As a result, it is sometimes called...
, Saint-MichelSaint-Michel (Paris Metro)Saint-Michel is a station on Line 4 of the Paris Métro in the 5th arrondissement. Located in the Quartier Latin, it offers a connection to the St-Michel - Notre-Dame RER station... - Métro line 10Paris Metro Line 10Paris Métro Line 10 is one of 16 metro lines in Paris, France. The line links the Boulogne – Pont de Saint Cloud metro station in Boulogne in the west with the Gare d'Austerlitz, travelling under the neighborhoods situated on the Rive Gauche in the southern half of Paris and the commune of...
, Cluny - la SorbonneCluny - La Sorbonne (Paris Metro)Cluny - La Sorbonne is a station on line 10 of the Paris Metro in the 5th arrondissement. It is in the heart of the Latin Quarter and Paris' Left Bank.-History:... - RER CRER CThe RER C is one of the five lines in the RER rapid transit system serving :Paris, France. It is operated by SNCF.The line runs from the northwestern terminuses Pontoise , Versailles – Rive Gauche and Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines to the southeastern terminuses Massy-Palaiseau , Dourdan-la-Forêt , ...
, Saint-Michel - Notre-DameSt-Michel - Notre-Dame (Paris RER)Saint-Michel - Notre-Dame is a station of the Paris RER, serving Line B and Line C. It is named after the nearby St-Michel area and Notre Dame cathedral.The main entrance to the station is in Place Saint-Michel on the left bank of the Seine...