“Fancy a trip to a Parisian pleasure spot of yesteryear?” I ask. That’s exactly what La Courtille once was. It sat near the Belleville crossroads at the bottom of Rue de Belleville. It was also at the top of Rue du Faubourg-du-Temple. La Courtille marked the start of the famous descent of La Courtille.
La Courtille’s name can still be found elsewhere. For example, the Courtille district in Gennevilliers. The name once meant a garden next to a farm. Today, the name is absent from Parisian toponymy. However, a large housing complex near the Mènilmontant metro station is called “Les Courtilles”. This references the historical toponym.
The word Courtille comes from the old French word “courtil”. It meant “small courtyard”. It generally referred to an enclosed garden attached to a house. La Courtille began as a farm. It was called “Courtille Saint-Martin”. King Henri 1st gave it to the abbey of Saint-Martin des Champs in 1060. The farm had a house and a vegetable garden. It sat at the corner of today’s Rue du Faubourg du Temple and Rue Bichat. It measured about two hectares.
In the 13th century, rich Parisians built country houses with gardens called “courtils”. These belonged to the religious order of the Temple. They formed a hamlet along the road to Romainville. The construction of Charles V’s wall made La Courtille a suburb of Paris. This was the Faubourg du Temple. During the Hundred Years’ War, the estates were divided. They became vineyards producing a light wine called “guinguet”. Cabarets called “guinguettes” sprung up. They served this mediocre wine. The wine was exempt from taxes applied inside Paris. La Courtille became an entertainment district.
La Courtille became a famous pleasure spot for Parisians. It was first rural and then urban. It thrived throughout the year especially during the Carnival of Paris. The Wall of the Farmers-General divided La Courtille. There was the Lower Courtille subject to taxes inside the city. Then there was the Upper Courtille exempt from taxes. It was located at the bottom of today’s Rue de Belleville up to Rue de Tourtille. This division was on either side of the Courtille barrier established in 1788. After 1789, the guinguettes prospered in the tax-free Upper Courtille.
Many establishments thrived here. People could eat, drink and have fun in famous guinguettes. Most importantly, they didn’t have to pay the “octroi”. This was a city tax levied at the entrance to Paris. It was collected “at the barriers”.
People sang a lot at La Courtille. There were “goguettes” here. In 1830, an anonymous work mentioned two nearby in the village of Belleville. It mentioned four at La Courtille. One was the Société d’Anacréon. Another was Les Écureuils.
Dancing was also popular at La Courtille. Quadrilles were common. People danced to the lively music of 19th-century Parisian dance music. Popular tunes included those from the Bal de l’Opéra. Philippe Musard officiated there. Other tunes came from the Bal du Théâtre de la Renaissance.
The La Courtille barrier gate was located near the current entrance to the Belleville metro. La Courtille is famous for the descent of La Courtille. This was a major event of the Carnival of Paris. It took place every year on the morning of Ash Wednesday from 1822 to around 1860.
At midnight, the “octroi” was moved beyond La Courtille when Paris expanded. This led to the decline of the pleasure establishments. They now had to pay taxes on goods entering Paris. The Locré porcelain factory was established in Basse-Courtille. It was on Rue de la Fontaine-au-Roy in 1771. It lasted until 1830. It is often called the “La Courtille factory.”
Now, as we stand here can you imagine the sounds of laughter? Can you imagine the music and dancing filling the air? La Courtille may be gone but its spirit lives on in the stories and memories of Paris.