“Boulevards du Midi” translates to boulevards of the south. These boulevards are a counterpart on the left bank. They mirror the grand boulevards. Those boulevards were developed at the end of the 17th century. They were built on the old dismantled ramparts in 1670.
Today on Avenue du Midi, we are walking a part of that set. It was created in the mid-18th century. This extends from Place Valhubert near the Pont d’Austerlitz. It goes to the Esplanade des Invalides. This includes several boulevards. They include the Boulevard de l’Hôpital. They also include the Boulevard Auguste-Blanqui. Plus, there is the Boulevard Saint-Jacques. The portion of Boulevard Raspail is also included. It runs from Place Denfert-Rochereau to Boulevard du Montparnasse. The current Boulevard des Invalides is part of it too.
The idea for a promenade south of the city came about. It was around the same time as the creation. This was from 1668 to 1705. It replaced the old fortifications. Pierre Bullet presented a symmetrical plan. He was the King’s architect. It was for the left bank. It mirrored the boulevards to the north.
The route was marked on a plan published in 1676. It started at the intersection. This was of Rue de Bourgogne and Quai d’Orsay. It headed towards the future Rue Vaneau. It ran along the south of the old Laennec hospital. Then, it followed a straight line. It went to the Port-Royal crossroads. This was the only meeting point. It met with the ring road that was eventually built. It passed between Rue Notre-Dame-des-Champs. That street was not on the plan. It also ran by Boulevard du Montparnasse. The boulevard would have skirted the Val-de-Grâce estate. Then, it would have followed a straight line. It passed the corner of Rue Tournefort. It also went to Rue du Pot-de-Fer. It went as far as the Porte Saint-Marcel. That was part of the Philippe-Auguste enclosure. It was at the corner of the current Rue Descartes and Rue Thouin.
At that time, the gate was still in place. It was not demolished until 1686. The boulevard was to run along the outside. It followed the Philippe-Auguste rampart. That was being dismantled. Those streets are now Rue du Cardinal-Lemoine and Rue des Fossés-Saint-Bernard.
Unlike the boulevards on the right bank, the Avenue du Midi was different. Those boulevards were developed on the sites of dismantled ramparts. The Avenue du Midi was to be created from scratch. The Philippe-Auguste enclosure on the left bank was too close to the center. It did not leave enough width available. Therefore, this boulevard could only be developed through existing districts. It could also be built on a route far from urban areas. This explains the hesitations and the length of its construction.
The route planned in 1676 was postponed. It was to the east of the Saint-Bernard gate. This was by an order of November 4, 1684. It was then modified to the west. This was to avoid dividing properties. It was decided to run alongside the Hôtel des Invalides. This started from Rue de Grenelle. The boulevard was moved south.
Initially, only a section of Boulevard des Invalides was built. It ran from the esplanade. There was also a promenade. It went from Rue des Vieilles Tuileries to Rue d’Enfer. This corresponded to the future Boulevard du Montparnasse. It was in an uninhabited area. There was also an alley. It connected the Jardin du Roi to the Seine. This was at the site of the current Jardin des Plantes. It was west of the future Boulevard de l’Hôpital. A construction site was set up in 1735. This was on that alley. It was later removed. This was at Buffon’s request. It was to enlarge the Jardin des Plantes.
In 1752, the city office decided to pave and plant trees. This was on a path that partially existed. It corresponded to Boulevard de l’Hôpital. The entire project was revived. This was by an order of August 9, 1760. The ring road was developed over the following years. The “boulevard du midi” was planted with trees. It consisted of a central avenue. That was 19.49 meters wide. There were two counter-alleys. They were 5.85 meters wide. That made a total of over 31 meters.
The Avenue du Midi was not frequented or built on much. That lasted until the mid-19th century. A guide from 1828 described Boulevard des Invalides. It called it well-maintained avenues. It said they were beautiful but very lonely. It described Boulevards du Montparnasse and d’Enfer as a beautiful but lonely walk. It said you could find a few houses and gardens. You could walk in the middle of the fields. You could enjoy the beauties of nature. Cafés were rare and lacked elegance. The guide noted increased activity on Boulevard de l’Hôpital. There were walkers nice cafés and restaurants with gardens.