Rue du Musée

“Whose cloak is this anyway?” a shivering Louis XIV might have grumbled, pacing the chilly Rue du Musée. Rue du Musée, better known in its day as Rue Froidmanteau or Rue Fromenteau, was a street of contrasts. It existed in the heart of Paris, nestled in the first arrondissement, before vanishing in 1850, swallowed by the expansion of the Louvre Museum. Imagine strolling along the Rue du Musée in its heyday, a short walk of only 117 meters. It stretched from the Place du Musée to the Place du Palais-Royal. Oddly enough, one side of Rue du Musée belonged to the Tuileries district, the other to Saint-Honoré. Despite its proximity to royalty and grand palaces, Rue du Musée held a darker secret. It was a notorious haunt for prostitutes, their presence documented as far back as the 18th century. In 1831, a staggering 60 prostitutes were recorded living on this short stretch, plying their trade near the opulent Palais-Royal. Yet, the street also housed more respectable residents. The Abbé of Saint-Martin de Chore, Messire Jean Galloys, called Rue du Musée home in the late 17th century. Artists and entrepreneurs working at the Louvre resided at the Hôtel de Souvr. This intriguing mix of high and low society, artists and sex workers, gave Rue du Musée a unique character. Its name, evolving from “Frigid Cloak” to “Museum Street,” reflects its transformation from a perhaps windswept lane to a street defined by its proximity to the burgeoning Louvre. The final chapter of Rue du Musée began with the construction of Rue de Rivoli and the demolition of the church of Saint-Thomas-du-Louvre. The last vestiges disappeared in 1850, completing the Louvre’s grand expansion. The street’s name and its stories, however, remain, a reminder of a hidden corner of Parisian life.