Perhaps it is the echoes of history that linger here on Rue Haxo. This street in Paris’s 19th and 20th arrondissements has a story etched into its very stones. Today we will explore the stories of Rue Haxo.
Rue Haxo stretches over 1000 meters. It links the bustling rue du Surmelin to the grand boulevard Sérurier. The street’s width measures approximately 15 meters. It is a significant artery connecting different parts of the city.
Originally, Rue Haxo was not known by its current name. It was once a path within the park of the Château de Ménilmontant. Over time parts of it were named rue de Vincennes, rue de Pantin or rue du Pré-Saint-Gervais. The northern part was even a section of the Route Départementale number 40. That road connected Charonne to Pantin. This was before Belleville joined Paris in 1860.
The street received its current name in 1865. It pays homage to General François Nicolas Benoît Haxo. He was a prominent figure in the French Empire. Haxo lived from 1774 to 1838.
A dark chapter marks Rue Haxo. During the Commune de Paris in 1871, a tragic event unfolded here. Fifty-two individuals were executed. They were transferred from the prison de la Roquette. These included priests, guards, gendarmes and civilians. They were killed by a firing squad. This act had the approval of the watching population. Maxime Vuillaume mentions another death there in his memoirs.
The Église Notre-Dame-des-Otages stands as a memorial to this event. It is located at number 81 Rue Haxo. The church commemorates the 52 hostages. They were executed on May 26, 1871. This occurred during the Semaine Sanglante or Bloody Week.
Even during World War I, Rue Haxo experienced upheaval. On January 30, 1918, number 118 was struck. This was during a German air raid.
A metro station once existed beneath the intersection of Rue Haxo and boulevard Sérurier. It was a phantom station. The station Haxo never opened to the public.
Interestingly, Rue Haxo appears in Dan Brown’s novel The Da Vinci Code. The book places the street west of Paris. It incorrectly puts it near the Roland-Garros stadium. Brown gives a Swiss bank an address at number 24. That address does not exist.
Today as we stand on Rue Haxo, remember its layers of history. It has evolved from a simple path. It became a site of sorrow and remembrance. It is now a vital part of Paris.