Gare d'Austerlitz (Paris Metro)
Encyclopedia
Metro station
A metro station or subway station is a railway station for a rapid transit system, often known by names such as "metro", "underground" and "subway". It is often underground or elevated. At crossings of metro lines, they are multi-level....
on the Paris Métro
Paris Métro
The Paris Métro or Métropolitain is the rapid transit metro system in Paris, France. It has become a symbol of the city, noted for its density within the city limits and its uniform architecture influenced by Art Nouveau. The network's sixteen lines are mostly underground and run to 214 km ...
, serving 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....
and forming the eastern terminus of line 10
Paris Metro Line 10
Paris 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...
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
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...
. Leaving this station to cross 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...
, Line 5 goes into a pronounced drop and curve known as le toboggan ("the slide").
The station was opened on 26 April 1931 with the opening of the original section of line 10 between Place d'Italie
Place 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:...
and Gare d'Orléans, as Gare d'Austerlitz was then known. It was the northern terminus of the line until it was extended to Quai de la Rapée
Quai de la Rapée (Paris Metro)
Quai de la Rapée is a station of the Paris Métro, serving line 5.Unusually, this station is located at ground level, and is open-air in plan. It was submerged during the historic flood of 1910....
(then called Place Mazas) on 13 July 1906. The line 10 platforms opened on 12 July 1939 when the line was extended from Jussieu
Jussieu (Paris Metro)
Jussieu is a station on lines 7 and 10 of the Paris Métro in the eastern part of the Latin Quarter in the 5th arrondissement.The station was opened on 26 April 1931 with the extension of line 7 from Pont de Sully to Place Monge and its incorporation of part of Line 10 from Place Monge to Porte de...
. The station was originally named the Gare d'Orléans after the main station of the Chemin de Fer de Paris à Orléans company, which had opened a line from Paris to the south, via Orléans
Orléans
-Prehistory and Roman:Cenabum was a Gallic stronghold, one of the principal towns of the Carnutes tribe where the Druids held their annual assembly. It was conquered and destroyed by Julius Caesar in 52 BC, then rebuilt under the Roman Empire...
. The metro station was renamed Gare d'Orléans-Austerlitz on 15 October 1930 and with its current name on 25 April 1985. These name changes reflect the changes in the name of the mainline station, which was renamed after the local district, Austerlitz, which is named after the Battle of Austerlitz
Battle of Austerlitz
The Battle of Austerlitz, also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of Napoleon's greatest victories, where the French Empire effectively crushed the Third Coalition...
, the most decisive French victory in the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
.