396 meters long. That’s Rue Auber in Paris. A seemingly ordinary Parisian street. But its history is far from ordinary.
Rue Auber. Named after the celebrated French composer Daniel François Esprit Auber. He lived nearby. The street’s location near the newly constructed Opera Garnier is no coincidence. The Opera’s construction shaped the street’s very existence.
Before it was Rue Auber it was known as Rue de Rouen. This was because it led to a western embarkation point. Decrees in 1858 and 1860 declared the creation of Rue Auber. These decrees detailed ambitious plans. These plans involved not just Rue Auber but the creation of other streets and squares. The widening of boulevards. Even the demolition of older streets like Rue Basse-du-Rempart. All this was to improve the area around the new Opera house.
Imagine the chaos of construction. The dust. The noise. The constant shifting of Parisian life. To create Rue Auber meant disrupting established routes. Displacing residents and businesses. Yet this disruption led to a new elegant Parisian street. A street that carries on a legacy of artistic vibrancy.
Rue Auber isn’t just a street. It’s a timeline. Number 3 once housed the workshop of Paul Louchet. A painter and metalworker. Number 4 witnessed history. There in 1968 France saw its first ATM. Number 6 was the grand headquarters of the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique. This was the company that sailed people across the Atlantic. This company connected France to a wider world.
Even number 12 has a darker past. It served as a headquarters for both the revolutionary MSR movement and the collaborationist LVF during WWII. This shows the street’s role in turbulent times. Rue Auber was a location for both resistance and collaboration. It was a scene of both hope and despair.
Rue Auber. A Parisian street. More than 396 meters of history. A story woven into the stones. A story written in the lives of its inhabitants past and present. A street which continues to pulse with Parisian energy.