Hidden in plain sight lies the charming Bois Cadet. It’s not a sprawling park like the Bois de Vincennes. It’s a quiet residential area. Its name however whispers secrets. It’s a small but significant part of Paris’s history.
The Bois Cadet is nestled in the 9th arrondissement. This area once bore a different name. In the 17th century it was known as the rubbish dump path. This unassuming street was later renamed. It received the name of the Cadet family. This family owned much of the land.
The rue Cadet is more than just a street name. It held significance during tumultuous times. In 1820 a shop called the Bazar francais stood there. Disgruntled army officers used it as a meeting place. They plotted unsuccessfully to overthrow the Bourbons. Their goal was to place Napoleon’s son on the French imperial throne.
The street’s history continues. Number 12 rue Cadet housed a literary review. This review was called North-South. It was founded in 1917 by Pierre Reverdy. It connected artistic and literary colonies in Montmartre and Montparnasse. Many surrealists and Dadaists wrote for it. They held meetings there.
Number 16 held even more weight. It housed the Grand Orient of France. This is the oldest traditional liberal Masonic order in France. The League for the Rights of Man was founded there. In 1933 a play supporting the Scottsborough Boys was shown there. These were young black men falsely accused of rape.
Even during the German occupation rue Cadet had an important role. The French police used the Grand Orient’s offices. They used it to track down secret societies. The Gestapo directed one hundred agents there. A 1941 law allowed the seizure and sale of Masonic goods.
The Bois Cadet’s story isn’t about grand battles. It’s about quiet resistance and hidden meetings. It’s a street that witnessed history unfold. It did so within its unassuming boundaries. The echoes of these events still linger. They’re woven into the very fabric of the Bois Cadet. The next time you walk its quiet streets think of the bustling past. Remember the hidden histories of this unassuming Parisian corner.