Perhaps you’ve noticed how this gate doesn’t lead to the Périphérique. That’s part of what makes the Porte de Montmartre so unique. It offers an easy connection between Paris and Saint-Ouen.
Welcome to the Porte de Montmartre one of Paris’s more unassuming yet historically layered gateways. Situated in the 18th arrondissement this spot is more than just a location. It is a testament to Paris’s evolving borders.
The Porte de Montmartre stands on the Boulevard Ney. It is nestled between the rue du Poteau and the avenue de la Porte-de-Montmartre. The Porte de Montmartre is a small gate in Paris. It sits about 500 meters west of the Porte de Clignancourt and 500 meters east of the Porte de Saint-Ouen.
Originally part of the Thiers wall its location facilitates pedestrian and bicycle traffic between Paris and Saint-Ouen. Despite a bridge the urban disruption typically caused by the Périphérique is minimal here.
Interestingly there is a series of vanished gates of Paris also called Porte de Montmartre. These earlier gates shifted with the city’s expanding boundaries along the rue Montmartre. They were eventually demolished to ease traffic.
The first Porte de Montmartre also known as Porte Saint-Eustache dated back to the reign of King Philippe Auguste around 1200. Positioned near the current rue Montmartre it featured two imposing towers guarding a wooden gate and a portcullis. By 1550 it was torn down.
As Paris grew a second Porte de Montmartre was erected around 1380 under King Charles V. This fortified gate included a bastion with turrets a 20-meter-long passage a double drawbridge and two moats. It stood approximately 250 meters north of the first gate but met its end in 1634.
The third Porte de Montmartre constructed in 1635 under Louis XIII was located another 400 meters to the north. Integrated into a bastion it featured a vaulted entrance topped with a building. This structure was removed between 1690 and 1700.
In 1840 a postern was built as part of the city walls. It was later named Porte de Montmartre. It allowed passage across bastion number 38.
Today the Porte de Montmartre is known for its HBM or affordable housing dating back to the 1920s. It is near the Bichat hospital and the Saint-Ouen flea market. It is also home to the carre des biffins. This is a space for selling recovered items that keeps the flea market’s tradition alive. The area is served by tram line 3b at the Angélique Compoint station.
So as you stand here at the Porte de Montmartre consider its role not as a grand monument but as a functional threshold a place of transition and connection in the ever-evolving story of Paris.