“What’s in a name?” you might ask as we stand here on Rue Marius Aufan. This street is more than just a route. It’s a slice of history named after a man who stirred up quite a bit of dust in his time.
Marius Aufan was born in 1844. He died in 1912. He wasn’t a king or a general. Marius Aufan was a socialist mayor of Levallois-Perret. He served from 1904 to 1906. Before his foray into politics, Marius Aufan worked as a railway employee and a designer. He moved around France before settling in Levallois-Perret in 1887.
Marius Aufan’s time as mayor was marked by strong views. He was fiercely anti-clerical during a period when France was separating church and state. His very first speech as mayor set the tone. He declared that the socialist party had taken over the town hall. He said that the beautiful monument had not collapsed. He added that the bloody flag had not flown. He finished by saying that the alarm bell had not sounded for civil war.
He told workers they were at home. Marius Aufan wanted them to remember that town hall employees worked for them, not the other way around. However, Marius Aufan’s tenure was short and turbulent. Disputes over staff layoffs and religious matters made council meetings impossible. Sometimes there was no quorum. Other times, meetings ended in chaos. The prefecture removed him from office in November 1906. His opponents won the subsequent elections.
Despite this setback, Marius Aufan remained in Levallois-Perret until 1910. Then he retired to Molay where he died in 1912. There is a possibility that Marius Aufan was a delegate from the Seine. He attended the socialist unity congress in Paris in April 1905. But he never appeared at any later national gatherings.
Interestingly, this street wasn’t always named Rue Marius Aufan. Originally, it was called Rue des Arts. In 1925, the city council decided to honor the former mayor by renaming it. However, it wasn’t the first time a name change was proposed for a street in Levallois-Perret.
Back in 1920, there was a plan to rename Rue de Cormeille after Marius Aufan. But the shopkeepers protested. They argued that it would force them to update all their stationery. That particular name change didn’t happen until five years later.
Rue Marius Aufan has seen much change. It once marked the boundary between Neuilly-sur-Seine and Clichy-la-Garenne. In 1882, a public laundry opened here featuring an ornate facade. It had space for 112 washerwomen. A school was also built on this street in 1885.
Before the 20th century, Rue Marius Aufan was cut off by a racetrack. This was near where Rue Paul-Vaillant-Couturier is today. The street was extended when the racetrack disappeared. In 1914, you could find laundries, wine merchants and a book rental shop here. There was also a tire manufacturer and a school.
So, as we stand on Rue Marius Aufan, remember the man behind the name. He was a passionate, if controversial, figure in the history of Levallois-Perret. This street is a reminder of a time of change and political fervor. It is a reminder of the local figures who shaped the communities we know today.