Wanna hear a heroic tale. Rue Hippolyte Bisson is named after a real hero. Hippolyte Magloire Bisson was a French naval officer. He lived from 1796 to 1827.
Rue Hippolyte Bisson is in Paris’s 20th arrondissement. It starts at 86 Boulevard de Belleville. It ends at 27 Rue des Couronnes. The street is 358 meters long and 9 meters wide.
Before 1730, this street existed. Back then, it did not have its current name. Around 1818, it was named Rue des Montagnes. This was because of the Russian mountains nearby. They were called French mountains. In 1867, the street got its current name. It became Rue Hippolyte Bisson.
Who was Hippolyte Bisson. He was an officer in the French Navy. In 1827, pirates attacked his ship, the Panayoti. Rather than surrender, Bisson blew up the ship. He and his crew died.
Bisson entered the Imperial Naval School in 1811. He was a talented student. He traveled the world. In 1821, he became a sub-lieutenant. In 1825, he commanded the Daphné. It fought against piracy. In 1827, he served on the frigate La Magicienne.
In 1827, Greece was fighting for independence from the Ottoman Empire. France supported the Greeks. Bisson’s ship was part of a fleet. It patrolled the Greek coast. They fought against pirates.
One day, Bisson’s ship captured a pirate ship. It was called the Panayoti. Bisson and a small crew took control of it. But a storm separated them from the French fleet. Then other pirates attacked. Bisson refused to surrender. He blew up the ship. He sacrificed himself to avoid capture.
France honored Bisson as a hero. His name is on the Arc de Triomphe. Several French naval ships were named after him.
Rue Hippolyte Bisson is near the Belleville and Couronnes metro stations. You can get here easily. The closest Vélib’ stations are at 44 and 116 Boulevard de Belleville.
In the novel La Vie devant soi, Romain Gary mentions Rue Bisson. Madame Rosa and Momo lived on this street. At number 55 lived the family of Jacob Szmulewicz. He was a French Resistance fighter.
On May 28, 1918, a bomb hit number 6 Rue Bisson. It was during World War I. The Grosse Bertha fired the shell.
So as you walk along Rue Hippolyte Bisson. Remember the brave naval officer. He gave his life for his country. His courage is forever remembered in this street’s name.