Sentier du Noyer Baril

“A rubbish dump? Really?” you might scoff, standing at the entrance of Sentier du Noyer Baril. It’s hard to believe this tranquil pathway in Fontenay-sous-Bois was once part of a notorious medieval garbage heap. But in the 15th century, long before the chic boutiques and digital startups of today’s Sentier district in Paris, this area, then known as “Villeneuve sur Gravois” (New City on Gravel), was indeed a dumping ground. Imagine Parisians tossing their refuse against the old city walls, forming a hill so high a windmill was built atop it! Some believe the very trails leading to this refuse mound, the “sentiers,” gave this area its eventual name, including Sentier du Noyer Baril. This hill met its demise in 1591. Parisians, rebelling against King Henri IV, feared he would use the hill as a strategic position for his canons. So they leveled it. The area later transformed into a notorious slum known as the Court of Miracles. This wasn’t a court of royalty, but a haven for beggars and thieves. They had their own king, their own laws, even their own exams for aspiring thieves! Beggars feigned illness to elicit sympathy, miraculously recovering upon their return to the Court. This defiance of authority didn’t sit well with King Louis XIV. In 1667, he dispatched his police lieutenant to dismantle the Court of Miracles. The inhabitants scattered, and the Parisians celebrated this “bonne nouvelle” (good news), a name that lives on in a nearby metro station. While Sentier du Noyer Baril may not share the vibrant history of Paris’s Sentier district, it holds a unique piece of the larger story. Its name whispers of a forgotten time, a reminder that even a garbage dump can transform into a peaceful pathway.