“Beethoven, Beethoven, everywhere” a street named for music’s titan. Allée Beethoven is located in the 16th arrondissement. It sits between Avenue du Président Kennedy and Boulevard Delessert.
Allée Beethoven stretches a mere 117 meters. Its width spans 15 meters. A flight of steps marks its northern end. These steps ascend to Boulevard Delessert. Before 1864, this street bore a different name. It was known as Rue de la Montagne. Older names included Montée des Bonshommes and Rue des Bons-Hommes.
In 1864, the street was renamed in honor of Ludwig van Beethoven. He was the famed German composer born in 1770 and died in 1827. The street’s history is intertwined with a former convent. This was the Couvent des Minimes de Chaillot or Couvent des Bons Hommes.
Until the late 18th century, Rue de la Montagne was steep. It formed a key route with Rue Vineuse. This linked the Bois de Boulogne and the village of Passy to Paris. The convent extended to the present-day Avenue de New York and Avenue du Président Kennedy.
The convent was decommissioned in 1790. Its church was destroyed. The buildings were sold. An industrialist from Ghent, Liévin Bauwens, acquired part of the area. He established a tannery and cotton mill there. Another industrialist, Benjamin Delessert, acquired the part toward Parc de Passy.
Around 1807, a new street opened. It was named Rue Neuve des Bons-Hommes or Rue des Minimes. It ran from Rue de la Montagne to the Seine. The opening of Boulevard Delessert in 1876 reshaped Allée Beethoven. The boulevard absorbed parts of Rue Delessert and Rue des Bons-Hommes. This reduced Allée Beethoven to its current length. Originally the street reached Rue Raynouard.
The Société astronomique de France is located at number 3. The International School of Paris is at numbers 6 and 13. At number 7, you can see the ateliers d’artistes. These were designed by Georges Thirion in 1913. Léo Fontan, an erotic painter, lived here from 1920 to 1939. The entrance to the old Couvent des Minimes de Chaillot was at number 9.
The street appears in the film “Innocents – The Dreamers”. The characters descend the Allée Beethoven steps. They are fleeing the police during a protest.