Boulevard de l'Hôpital
Encyclopedia
The boulevard de l'Hôpital is a tree-lined boulevard of Paris's
13th arrondissement
, which also briefly borders on the 5th arrondissement
.
It runs a distance of 1,395 meters, from the Place Valhubert at the pont d'Austerlitz
, by the gare d'Austerlitz
, rising in a gentle slope towards its end at the place d'Italie
- the town hall of the arrondissement being located at their intersection. Along the way, it serves the Jardin des Plantes
and the Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière
from which it derives its name. In front of the hospital, is a statue of doctor Philippe Pinel
.
The boulevard is an important traffic axis. Bordered by public and teaching establishments such as the general police station of the arrondissement and the École nationale supérieure d'arts et métiers (in French) in addition to those above, it has relatively little commercial and leisure activity excepting the shops and restaurants close to the gare d'Austerlitz.
The métro Line 5
runs through the Austerlitz viaduct, along the boulevard which has four stations:
. However, the work advanced very slowly and the boulevard only finally opened in 1760. It was then the start of the road to Fontainebleau
, which followed the course of the present avenue d'Italie.
In the projects for the restoration of Paris in the post-war period (the 1959 town-planning directive), it was intended that the boulevard de l'Hôpital be integrated into an expressway crossing Paris from south to north, which would have joined the Boulevard Richard-Lenoir
on the right bank. However, this plan was never implemented, so the layout of the boulevard has scarcely changed from the original.
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...
13th arrondissement
XIIIe arrondissement
The 13th arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France....
, which also briefly borders on the 5th arrondissement
Ve arrondissement
The 5th arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France.Situated on the left bank of the River Seine, it is one of the central arrondissements of the capital...
.
It runs a distance of 1,395 meters, from the Place Valhubert at the pont d'Austerlitz
Pont d'Austerlitz
The Pont d'Austerlitz is a bridge which crosses the Seine River in Paris, France.-Location:The bridge links the 12th arrondissement at the rue Ledru-Rollin, to the 5th and 13th arrondissements, at the Jardin des Plantes.- History :...
, by the gare d'Austerlitz
Gare d'Austerlitz
Paris Austerlitz is one of the six large terminus railway stations in Paris. It is situated on the left bank of the Seine in the southeastern part of the city, in the XIIIe arrondissement...
, rising in a gentle slope towards its end at the place d'Italie
Place d'Italie
The Place d'Italie is a public space in the 13th arrondissement of Paris. The square has an average dimension somewhat less than 200 meters in extent , and the following streets meet there:*Boulevard Vincent-Auriol...
- the town hall of the arrondissement being located at their intersection. Along the way, it serves the Jardin des Plantes
Jardin des Plantes
The Jardin des Plantes is the main botanical garden in France. It is one of seven departments of the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle. It is situated in the 5ème arrondissement, Paris, on the left bank of the river Seine and covers 28 hectares .- Garden plan :The grounds of the Jardin des...
and the Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière
Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital
The Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital is a teaching hospital located in Paris, France. Part of the Assistance publique - Hôpitaux de Paris, it is one of Europe's largest hospitals...
from which it derives its name. In front of the hospital, is a statue of doctor Philippe Pinel
Philippe Pinel
Philippe Pinel was a French physician who was instrumental in the development of a more humane psychological approach to the custody and care of psychiatric patients, referred to today as moral therapy...
.
The boulevard is an important traffic axis. Bordered by public and teaching establishments such as the general police station of the arrondissement and the École nationale supérieure d'arts et métiers (in French) in addition to those above, it has relatively little commercial and leisure activity excepting the shops and restaurants close to the gare d'Austerlitz.
The métro Line 5
Paris Metro Line 5
Paris Métro Line 5 is one of the 16 metro lines built in Paris, France. It crosses the east of Paris from Bobigny to Place d'Italie. It is the eighth busiest line on the network....
runs through the Austerlitz viaduct, along the boulevard which has four stations:
- Gare d'AusterlitzGare d'Austerlitz (Paris Metro)The gare d'Austerlitz is a station on the Paris Métro, serving line 5 and forming the eastern terminus of line 10 in the 5th and the 13th arrondissements. The Line 5 station is open to the exterior though under the roof of the mainline Gare d'Austerlitz...
(at its northmost end) - Saint-MarcelSaint-Marcel (Paris Metro)Saint-Marcel is a station of the Paris Métro, serving line 5.The name refers to the Boulevard Saint-Marcel, named for a 5th-century bishop of Paris.The station serves the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital....
(opposite Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière) - Campo FormioCampo Formio (Paris Metro)Campo Formio is a station of the Paris Métro, serving line 5.The name refers to Rue de Campo Formio, named for the Treaty of Campo Formio in 1797 between France and Austria.German bombing in World War I damaged this station in 1918.-Gallery:...
- Place d'ItaliePlace d'Italie (Paris Metro)Place d'Italie is a rapid transit station of the Paris Métro located in the heart of the 13th arrondissement of Paris, at the Place d'Italie. It is the terminus of Line 5 and is also served by Line 6 and Line 7.-History:...
(at its southmost end)
History
The boulevard is one of the Boulevards du midi of Louis XIV, constructed to supplement the band of boulevards already completed on the right bank of the SeineSeine
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...
. However, the work advanced very slowly and the boulevard only finally opened in 1760. It was then the start of the road to Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the arrondissement of Fontainebleau...
, which followed the course of the present avenue d'Italie.
In the projects for the restoration of Paris in the post-war period (the 1959 town-planning directive), it was intended that the boulevard de l'Hôpital be integrated into an expressway crossing Paris from south to north, which would have joined the Boulevard Richard-Lenoir
Boulevard Richard-Lenoir
Boulevard Richard-Lenoir, running from the Bastille to the Avenue de la République, is one of the wide tree-lined boulevards driven through Paris during the Second French Empire by Baron Haussmann, who retained the complete confidence of Napoleon III....
on the right bank. However, this plan was never implemented, so the layout of the boulevard has scarcely changed from the original.
Composition
The odd-numbered buildings are on the Gare d'Austerlitz/Pitié-Salpêtrière (eastern) side of the boulevard and the even-numbered buildings on the opposite (western) side.Odd numbers
- n° 1-27 : Gare d'Austerlitz
- n° 7 : Houses L'Association pour l'histoire des chemins de fer en France (Association for the history of railways in France.)
- n° 47-97 : Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière
- n° 47 : Chapelle de la Salpêtrière (Hospital Chapel), masterpiece of Libéral BruantLibéral BruantLibéral Bruant , was a French architect best known as the designer of the Hôtel des Invalides, Paris, now dominated by the dome erected by Jules Hardouin Mansart, his collaborator in earlier stages of the construction...
architect of les InvalidesLes InvalidesLes Invalides , officially known as L'Hôtel national des Invalides , is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans, the building's...
, built around 1675, on the model of a Greek cross. It has 4 central chapels each capable of holding a congregation of some 1,000 people. It has a central octagonal cupola illuminated by picture windows in circular arcs.- Also houses ARTC Association pour la Recherche sur les Tumeurs Cérébrales (Association for Research on Cerebral Tumours).
- Occasionally houses art exhibitions. The Bombay-born British sculptor, Anish KapoorAnish KapoorAnish Kapoor CBE RA is a British sculptor of Indian birth. Born in Mumbai , Kapoor has lived and worked in London since the early 1970s when he moved to study art, first at the Hornsey College of Art and later at the Chelsea School of Art and Design.He represented Britain in the XLIV Venice...
has exhibited here.
- n° 47 : Chapelle de la Salpêtrière (Hospital Chapel), masterpiece of Libéral Bruant
- n° 91 and 105 : Pitié-Salpêtrière Faculty of Medicine (in French).
- n° 103/105/105B : Centre Hospitalier Universitaire.
- n° 149-155 : École nationale supérieure d'arts et métiers, ENSAM (in French)
- n° 151 :Underground Amphitheater of ENSAM - a reinforced concrete thin-shell structure built in 1960–1961 which has been shown at the Museum of Modern ArtMuseum of Modern ArtThe Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, as part of the programme devoted to 20th Century Engineering. .
- n° 151 :Underground Amphitheater of ENSAM - a reinforced concrete thin-shell structure built in 1960–1961 which has been shown at the Museum of Modern Art
- n° 159 : Primary School.
Even numbers
- n° 50-52 : The fictional maison Gorbeau in Book 4 (La masure Gorbeau , Gorbeau's hovel) of Victor HugoVictor HugoVictor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
's Les MisérablesLes MisérablesLes Misérables , translated variously from the French as The Miserable Ones, The Wretched, The Poor Ones, The Wretched Poor, or The Victims), is an 1862 French novel by author Victor Hugo and is widely considered one of the greatest novels of the nineteenth century...
. - n° 56 : AOF Association des Optométristes de France (Association of French Optometrists).
- n° 66 : Annex of the préfecture of police, which was captured at midnight on August 25, 1958 by FLNNational Liberation Front (Algeria)The National Liberation Front is a socialist political party in Algeria. It was set up on November 1, 1954 as a merger of other smaller groups, to obtain independence for Algeria from France.- Anticolonial struggle :...
commandos, controlled by Mohand Ouramdane Saâdaoui and Mohammed Mezrara (also known as "Hamada"). Of the four policemen guarding the building, three were killed and the fourth seriously wounded. - n° 80 : Saint Marcel was buried in a funerary basilica destroyed at the beginning of the 19th century. The modern Roman Catholic church of Saint-Marcel (in French) at n° 80 - 82 was built around 1960 some 500 m from the site of the basilica. It has a triangular campanile built in 1995 and underneath is the Sainte-Genevière chapel and an American oratory. It has a 1967 Beuchet-debierre organ (in French).
- n° 82 : Coptic Orthodox church of Saint Marcel
- n° 106-112 : Sorbonne Economics Center, research centers in economics, statistics and mathematical economics (in French)
- n° 144 : Police Commissariat for the 13th arrondissement.
Trivia
- Boulevard De L'hôpital is the title of Track 11 of Les Créatures by the French artist Philippe Katerine (links in French).