A curious fox statue. That’s what first drew my eye to the Passage du Renard. It’s a small passageway tucked away in the heart of Paris. This unassuming alley holds a fascinating history. Did you know that Rue du Renard was once known by a different name? For centuries it was called Cour Robert-de-Paris. This name appears in ancient documents dating back to 1185. It remained in use until 1512. Then something changed. A 1512 manuscript refers to it as Cour Robert or Cour du Renard.
The name shifted again in 1558. Gilles Corrozet called it Rue du Renard-qui-Prêche or Rue du Regnard-qui-Prêche. These names are intriguing. They translate roughly to “Street of the Preaching Fox”. It suggests a lively and perhaps mischievous history. A street with a talking fox? A whimsical tale for a whimsical Parisian street. The name eventually simplified to Rue du Renard. To avoid confusion with another similarly named street it became Rue du Renard-Saint-Merri.
In 1868 the current Rue du Renard was formed. It is a result of merging two older streets: Rue de la Poterie-des-Arcis and Rue du Renard-Saint-Merri. The merger extended the street’s length to 315 meters. It increased its width to twenty meters. Even more astonishing is a decision made in the year VII of the French Republican calendar. This was a ministerial decision concerning the width of the street. The decision was set at 7 meters only to be increased to 10 meters later.
The Passage du Renard stands as a testament to the evolution of Paris. It is a silent observer of centuries of Parisian life. Today the street hosts various notable buildings. Number 8-10 is an ‘Immeuble Remarquable’ in the Marais. It even houses Technicolor’s headquarters since 2019. Number 11 has medieval cellars with remarkable decor. These cellars even include a well. And Number 12 is the site of the Théâtre du Renard. It previously served as a theatre for the French grocery union. The passage is more than just a street. It’s a living chapter of Parisian history. A place where the past whispers stories into the present. A small street with a big story to tell.