Question: What if I told you that the Sentier des Grésillons in Paris is a place born from a rubbish dump? It is a district with a fascinating history.
The Sentier des Grésillons started with city walls. This happened during the Hundred Years War. A hamlet appeared in the 15th century at the gate of Saint-Denis. In medieval times, bins and sewers did not exist. Some inhabitants threw their waste against the old wall. They did this always in the same spot. This hill reached ten meters high. Then a windmill was built on top of it.
This hamlet was named Villeneuve sur Gravois. This literally means the New City on Gravel. There were houses surrounded by fields and vineyards. Trails led to this hill. The French word for trail is “sentier”. It is thought these trails gave the area its present name. Another theory says the name comes from walks around the city walls.
In 1591, the hill was destroyed. Paris was in rebellion against King Henri IV. People feared he could use the hill to set up his cannons.
In 1628, the church today called Notre-Dame-de-Bonne-Nouvelle was built. It was restored in the early 19th century. Sober and beautiful, it contains paintings from renowned artists. One is Philippe de Champaigne. The architecture of the 17th and 18th centuries shows this renewal. Le Sentier also has streets dating from the big Haussmanian renovation. This renovation of Paris happened in the mid-19th century.
The area became known for another reason in the 17th century. It was the main Court of Miracles in Paris. This counter-society reached 30 thousand inhabitants. They lived in a fortified slum. They had a king called the Grand Coësre. Also they had their own laws, taxes, slang and a strong hierarchy.
They defied the authorities by refusing to pay taxes. They had two activities: begging and stealing. Beggars and thieves were trained for more efficiency. Thieves had to pass an exam to prove their ability. Beggars pretended to be invalid or sick. They hoped to inspire charity from Parisians. Back in their lair, they stopped pretending. Their invalidity seemed to vanish. Thus came the name Court of the Miracles.
Louis XIV could not tolerate this challenge. He appointed La Reynie as the first police lieutenant of Paris. La Reynie had a mission to destroy this place. In 1667, he besieged it. He warned that the last twelve beggars taken would be hanged. This threat caused panic. The beggars ran away.
Parisians called the destruction a “good news”, or “bonne nouvelle”. This gave its name to the nearby metro station. Since the 17th century, many craftsmen settled here. There were 60 workshops in the Rue de Cléry. They were mostly carpenters. But they moved east in the 19th century.
Ready-to-wear manufacturers replaced them. This specialization grew in the 20th century. It peaked in the 1980s. It attracted immigrants like Jews, Turks, Armenians and Asians. The area was made famous in the 1997 movie La Vérité si je mens. It depicted the life of Jews from North African origin.
Today, the Chinese community is growing in the clothing district. The district has diversified. It now has data-centers and start-ups linked to telecommunications. This transformation earned it the nickname Silicone Sentier.
So when you stroll along the Sentier des Grésillons remember its history. From a rubbish dump to a hub of innovation. Its story is etched into the very fabric of Paris.