Perhaps you have never pondered the weight of a name. Vercingetorix resonates with echoes of ancient Gaul. It is a name etched into the heart of Paris. Avenue Vercingetorix is a public road in the Plaisance district. This avenue lies in the 14th arrondissement of Paris.
Avenue Vercingetorix stretches 1,723 meters. It runs along the SNCF tracks from Gare Montparnasse. The avenue extends towards the Boulevards des Maréchaux. It begins at Avenue du Maine. Since the mid-1980s the avenue has crossed Place de Catalogne. It intersects Rue d’Alésia. It finishes on Boulevard Brune. This is near Porte de Vanves and Jardin Monique-Wittig. Beyond the boulevard, it continues as Avenue de la Porte-de-Vanves.
The Gaîté station provides access to its beginning. The Porte de Vanves station serves its end on line 13. The avenue pays homage to Vercingetorix. He was a Gaulish king and war leader. He triumphed at Gergovia. He defended Alesia. These are the names of two neighboring streets.
Initially, the street opened by decree. It stretched 80 meters between Avenue du Maine and Rue de Médéah. It was known as Rue de Constantine. The street was an extension of Rue de Constantine. Later an order changed the name. Rue de Constantine became Rue Vercingetorix. This encompassed the section between Avenue du Maine and Rue d’Alésia. A decree extended it further between Rue d’Alésia and Rue Paturle. This part also adopted the name Rue Vercingetorix.
In the early 20th century Avenue Vercingetorix thrived. It was a hub of artistic life in the Montparnasse district. Numerous workshops and two artists’ cities existed here. According to Camille Jullian residents nicknamed it “Rue des Vingt-Cinq Liquoristes”.
Renovation projects deeply altered the area. These projects included Plaisance-Vandamme. Also, the Guilleminot-Vercingetorix and Jean-Zay. A highway plan for Paris in the mid-1960s further changed it. The Vercingetorix radial highway project was abandoned in the 1970s. Most houses had already been expropriated and demolished. In the vacant space several squares were created in the 1980s. This included Square du Cardinal-Wyszynski.
The creation of Place de Catalogne shortened the street in 1985. In the 1990s the street extended between Rue Paturle and Boulevard Brune.
Several notable buildings mark Avenue Vercingetorix. Numbers 1 and 3 form a mixed-use complex. It includes housing and shops. Its main facade stretches along Avenue du Maine. Numbers 84 to 92 also belong to this complex. Built during the final phase of the Maine-Montparnasse renovation.
Number 3 marks the site of a former artists’ city. It disappeared in the late 1970s. Le Douanier Rousseau had his workshop here. Pablo Gargallo and Julio González also worked here. The painter Tsugouharu Foujita also had a studio here. Jean Toth a painter lived here after the Second World War.
Number 4 was the home of painter Marius Roy in 1912. Numbers 19-21 housed the Leopold-Bellan hospital. It specialized in colo-proctology and gastroenterology. It moved to Hôpital Saint-Joseph. Eduardo Pisano resided at number 33.
At its opening onto Place de Catalogne the road is interrupted. Traffic diverts via Rue Alain to Rue Pernety. The section between numbers 26 and 44 was removed. This made way for Place de Catalogne. Rue du Texel now ends on this square.
The part beyond Place de Catalogne towards Rue Pernety is now a pedestrian zone. It crosses through the Échelles du Baroque complex. It leads to Place de l’Amphithéâtre. Numbers 50 and 52 mark the site of another former artists’ city. Some artists saved their studios. Paul-Édouard Crébassa and Maurice Georges Poncelet had studios here.
Numbers 52-76 is Square du Cardinal-Wyszynski. It features a fountain and playground. This marks the start of a promenade. It links smaller squares via footbridges. Number 59 is the Église Notre-Dame-du-Travail. It boasts a remarkable metal frame. Henri Rousseau lived at number 36. Armand Queval a sculptor lived at number 96. Number 105 is a mixed-use building. It houses the Moulin de la Vierge bakery. It survived demolitions due to the owner’s tenacity. The interior decor is listed as a historical monument. Numbers 112-142 is Square du Père-Plumier. It features a granite sculpture called Le Menhir. Number 232 is the Gare d’Ouest-Ceinture.
Missak Manouchian and his brother lived in a dilapidated hotel on Avenue Vercingetorix. A whimsical commemorative plaque exists. It reads “Jérôme BOZEL Plumber LIVED IN THIS BUILDING FROM 1972 TO 1979.”
Avenue Vercingetorix whispers tales of artists. It speaks of battles against demolition and celebrates a Gaulish king. As you walk its length remember its layered history.