Rue de Siam
Encyclopedia
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
. Its name comes from the arrival of three ambassadors led by Kosa Pan
Kosa Pan
Pan , known by his rank Chao Phraya Kosathibodi or former rank Ok Phra Wisut Sunthon or by the nickname Kosa Pan , was a Siamese diplomat and minister who led the Second Siamese Embassy to France sent by king Narai in 1686...
, sent by the King of Siam
Narai
Somdet Phra Narai or Somdet Phra Ramathibodi III was the king of Ayutthaya from 1656 to 1688 and arguably the most famous Ayutthayan king. His reign was the most prosperous during the Ayutthaya period and saw the great commercial and diplomatic activities with foreign nations including the...
on the 29th of June 1686 to meet Louis XIV in Versailles
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
. They went with six mandarins
Mandarin (bureaucrat)
A mandarin was a bureaucrat in imperial China, and also in the monarchist days of Vietnam where the system of Imperial examinations and scholar-bureaucrats was adopted under Chinese influence.-History and use of the term:...
, three translators, two secretaries and a retinue of servants, loaded with presents. They traveled on the boats l'Oiseau and La Maligne.
They crossed Saint-Pierre Street to go to the hostel of the same name. The inhabitants were so amazed that they renamed the street. The street was quite narrow before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The Rue de Siam is quoted by Jacques Prévert
Jacques Prévert
Jacques Prévert was a French poet and screenwriter. His poems became and remain very popular in the French-speaking world, particularly in schools. Some of the movies he wrote are extremely well regarded, with Les Enfants du Paradis considered one of the greatest films of all time.-Life and...
in his poem Barbara.
Location
From the Place de la Liberté, in the centre of Brest, the Rue de Siam runs southwest to the Recouvrance BridgePont de Recouvrance
The pont de Recouvrance is a vertical-lift bridge in Brest, France, across the river Penfeld. Opened on 17 July 1954, it was the largest vertical-lift bridge in Europe until the opening of the Pont Gustave-Flaubert in 2008...
, spanning the river Penfeld
Penfeld
The Penfeld, Penfell in Breton, is a 16 km-long French coastal river. On its left bank has grown up the town of Brest in Finistère.-Course:...
. Recouvrance
Recouvrance, Brest
Recouvrance is the section of the city of Brest, France which lies on the right bank of the river Penfeld. It is a popularly and historically Breton quarter, in contrast to the largely Francophone quarter of Brest-même or Brest-proper on the left bank....
is a working-class district, from old Brest, in contrast to the Rue de Siam where there were all the chic stores and café
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
s of Brest, in the years 1950-60.
There used to be l’Épée Café on the right and Les Antilles Restaurant on the left. Midshipmen and officers from all nationalities used to have an aperitif at l’Épée and then, cross the Rue de Siam to have supper at Les Antilles.