“Fessart? Who was Fessart?” I imagine someone asking. Well let’s find out about the story of the Rond-Point Fessart.
The Rond-Point Fessart is located in Boulogne-Billancourt. It is a place where several streets converge.
The street, and thus the Rond-Point Fessart, is named after a M. Fessart. He owned the neighboring buildings. He also owned what became the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont.
Originally, in 1730, this route was just a path. It extended from Belleville to the mills of Butte-Chaumont. This path served mills like the Moulin du Coq and Moulin des Bruyères. It also led to others such as Moulin des Chopinettes.
The path descended towards the Gibet de Montfaucon beyond the Moulin de la Tour. This infamous gibet was near Rue de la Grange-aux-Belles.
By 1812, the section between Rue Clavel and Rue Botzaris was marked on maps. The Rond-Point Fessart area was officially integrated into Paris in 1863. Later, it was extended to Rue de la Villette and then to Rue de Palestine in 1889.
In 1868, a portion of Rue Fessart was detached. This section was on the other side of the Buttes-Chaumont. It became Rue Secrétan. A decree by Napoléon III formalized this change.
During World War I, specifically on January 30, 1918, number 4 Rue Fessart was struck. This was during a raid by German aircraft.
Today, near the Rond-Point Fessart, you can find places like the Fessart public elementary school. The Bibliothèque Jacqueline Dreyfus-Weill is also close. It was created in 1922.
The Rond-Point Fessart area also had a connection to the anarchist journal L’Anarchie. Victor Kilbaltchiche and Rirette Maîtrejean lived here. They were members of the Bonnot gang.
A shared garden exists at the corner of Rue Fessart and Rue Clavel. A painted wall can be seen at number 23 Rue Fessart.
So the next time you pass through the Rond-Point Fessart, remember its layered past. It is a place that has evolved from a simple path to a central point in the city. It connects neighborhoods and histories.