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 Boulevard de Sébastopol today | |
  Shown within Paris | |
| Namesake | Siege of Sevastopol |
|---|---|
| Length | 1,332 m (4,370 ft) |
| Width | 30 m (98 ft) |
| Arrondissement | 1st,2nd,3rd,4th |
| Quarter | Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois . Halles . Bonne Nouvelle . Sainte-Avoye . Arts et Métiers . Saint-Merri |
| Coordinates | 48°51′52″N2°21′5″E / 48.86444°N 2.35139°E /48.86444; 2.35139 |
| From | avenue Victoria |
| To | boulevard Saint-Denis |
| Construction | |
| Completion | Déc. du 29 septembre 1854 (UP). Déc. du 23 août 1858 : 1° raccordement des côtés impair et pair avec le côté pair de la rue Greneta; 2° au droit du n° 107 (partie) ; 3° au droit du square Chautemps. |
| Denomination | Déc. du 25 septembre 1855. |
TheBoulevard de Sébastopol (French pronunciation:[bulvaʁdəsebastɔpɔl]) is an important roadway inParis,France, which serves to delimit the1st and2nd arrondissements from the3rd and4th arrondissements of the city.
The boulevard is 1.3 km in length, starting from thePlace du Châtelet and ending at the boulevard Saint-Denis, when it becomes theBoulevard de Strasbourg. The boulevard is a main thoroughfare and consists of four vehicular lanes, one of which is reserved for buses.
Although the road is lined with some shops and restaurants, its importance is that of a thoroughfare running north–south in central Paris. It separates the Parisian neighborhoodsLe Marais fromLes Halles.
| Located near theMétro stations: Châtelet, Strasbourg – Saint-Denis and Réaumur Sébastopol. |
The boulevard de Sébastopol is one of the most important roads opened up by theBaron Haussmann during histransformation of Paris in the 1850s. It was conceived as a major artery running a north–south axis across Paris, leading to theGare de l'Est.
The road was christenedBoulevard du Centre when it was opened in 1854. Following theFrench victory in September 1855 at the port ofSevastopol during theCrimean War, it was given its current name.
For several years, the name belonged to the road known since 1867 asBoulevard Saint-Michel, along theRive Gauche up toRue Cujas.
Napoleon III, when touring Paris with TsarAlexander II of Russia in 1867 during theExposition Universelle, had decided on the Boulevard de Sébastopol as a peaceful area to bring his foreign guest through. But Louis-Napoleon was disappointed, as shouts from crowds surrounding their vehicle could be heard, "Long livePoland!"[1]
