550 meters long and 10 meters wide. That’s Rue Decamps in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. Imagine strolling down this Parisian street. It begins at Place de Mexico and ends where Rue de la Tour and Rue de la Pompe meet.
Rue Decamps isn’t just any street. It’s named after Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps a famous French painter. His widow even lived here for a time. The street’s history stretches back further than you might think. Old maps show a path here as early as 1730. It was then called Rue du chemin de Versailles. Later it became Rue de la Croix. The name changed again to honor Decamps in 1864.
This unassuming street holds remarkable stories. Number 2 boasts a plaque for aviator Maurice de Seynes. He once lived here. Number 10 is where historian Philippe Ariès resided from 1920 to 1949. At number 37 another plaque remembers Alimardan Topchubashov a former president of Azerbaijan’s parliament. He stayed here briefly in 1920.
Rue Decamps also brushes against the prestigious Lycée Janson de Sailly. Its chapel is a beautiful sight. The street’s quieter moments are punctuated by the nearby Metro stations Rue de la Pompe and Trocadéro. They offer easy access to this intriguing location.
But Rue Decamps also holds a darker secret. In 1979 Molotov cocktails destroyed two Soviet diplomatic vehicles here. A Ukrainian nationalist movement was blamed for the attack. This act of violence contrasts sharply with the street’s peaceful façade. It speaks to a turbulent history unfolding even in the quietest corners of Paris.
So as you walk along Rue Decamps remember its dual nature. It’s a street of artists and politicians. It’s a street of quiet charm and unexpected violence. It’s a street reflecting Paris’ rich and layered history a story waiting to be discovered. It is more than just a street. Rue Decamps is a microcosm of Paris itself a place where the grand and the ordinary exist side by side.