Butte aux Cailles is a neighborhood with villas. These villas are groups of private homes. They are somewhat like planned developments in the US. We are now standing in front of Villa Caillot.
This area feels like a small town. Paris is made up of neighborhoods each with unique character. Sometimes it feels as if you have stumbled into a town in the countryside. Butte aux Cailles is in the 13th arrondissement.
Here you will see low rise buildings. Also groups of single family homes arranged around courtyards and art nouveau architecture.
Butte aux Cailles has traditionally been a working class neighborhood. It was not incorporated into Paris until the late 19th Century. At that time its river was covered. The mills were closed.
“Villas” is a term used in France. They are somewhat like gated communities. Another example of villas occur in the 20th. These are a series of homes designed in an Alsatian style. There is also an area with a Russian theme.
This is a typical villa of small homes. It runs into a factory at the end of the street. It is rare to see a loose dog in Paris. We spotted one in this small sidestreet.
The pleasure of Butte aux Cailles is in the charm. Enjoy these narrow streets and distinctive architecture. Notice the metal rods. They separate the street from the sidewalks. These barriers prevent people from driving on the sidewalk.
The Butte has relatively little ugly graffiti. But it has a lot of street art. The Butte has become a popular area for artists and art studios.
There is such a range of interesting church design in Paris. The dome in the distance is of St Anne- de- la- Butte- Aux -Cailles. It was built at the end of the 19th century. It replaced a wooden chapel.
While much of the church was completed at the turn of the 20th century the mosaics were not completed until the 1930s. They are considered a major treasure. Charles Mauméjean completed them. They have a socialist realist feel to them. It keeps with this staunchly working class area.
After lunch we came across workers cleaning the narrow streets. Paris invests a lot in street cleaning. For the most part it is a clean city.
To avoid the street cleaning we wandered a bit further. We came upon the office of the Amis de la Commune de Paris. This group seeks to keep the spirit of the Communards alive.
The Communards briefly ruled Paris. It was after the Franco Prussian War. They sought to establish a democratic governance. The national government didn’t want self governance in Paris. They distrusted the radical workers in the cities. After battles at barricades around Paris the Communards were defeated. Several hundred were lined up against walls and shot.