Rue du Pont aux Choux

Tucked away in the heart of Paris, Rue du Pont aux Choux whispers tales of cabbages and kings. This charming street, stretching from Rue de Turenne to Boulevard Beaumarchais, holds a history as unique as its name. Rue du Pont aux Choux translates to “Cabbage Bridge Street”. The name originates from a bridge over a sewer, now covered by Rue de Turenne, and the vegetable gardens that once flourished here. Imagine, in the early 17th century, this area was a pathway leading from a gate in the Charles V wall to marshlands brimming with cabbages and other vegetables. This very street was once a humble path to those gardens. Around 1620, Rue du Pont aux Choux officially earned its name. By 1624, records show the street was nearly fully developed. At the street’s beginning stood a small bridge or culvert. This bridge allowed passage over the sewer that Rue de Turenne now conceals. Beyond its charming name, Rue du Pont aux Choux harbors intriguing secrets. The infamous bandit Cartouche, born Louis Dominique Garthausen, was born on this very street in 1693. Later immortalized on screen by Jean-Paul Belmondo, Cartouche’s life ended dramatically with his execution by breaking wheel in 1721. A darker secret lurks within the street’s past. From 1849 to 1857, a guillotine was stored in a hangar at number 11-13. Rue du Pont aux Choux isn’t just a historical relic. At number 3, a beautifully preserved Louis XIII-style building stands as a testament to the street’s architectural heritage. Its three-bay facade, three stories high, and wooden staircase with turned balusters, whispers stories of centuries past. Further down the street, at number 13-15, a striking metal market hall built in 1888 by architect Jules Jobard once stood. Although slated for redevelopment into offices, shops, and housing, it represents a glimpse into Paris’s 19th-century industrial architecture. Rue du Pont aux Choux, a place where the echoes of history blend seamlessly with the vibrant pulse of modern Paris. It’s a street where the mundane and the extraordinary intertwine. A place where the aroma of fresh cabbages has been replaced by the scent of Parisian pastries, but the stories remain, whispered on the wind, waiting to be discovered.