The street runs through the heart of the fashionableLeft Bank and is characterised by a number of'hôtels particuliers' (grand townhouses) and elegant apartment buildings as well as being bounded by the river at one end and the park at the other. With fifteen buildings or monuments classified asMonument historique, it has more such listed sites than any other street in the 6th arrondissement.
The Rue Bonaparte also has many literary associations and contains a number of bookshops, antiquarian booksellers, publishers and art galleries. Its architecture and location have made it one of Paris' most historic and sought-after residential addresses.
The length of the street was formerly the site of a river calledLa Noue, which at the time formed the eastern boundary of thePré-aux-Clercs (an area of land belonging to theAbbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés). Later, the river was enlarged into a 27-m wide canal and namedPetite Seine ('Little Seine'), which in turn supplied water to the moat of the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés when its fortifications were built during the 14th century. In the 17th century, those fortifications were demolished along with the moat and the canal.
Street plaque also showing former name
At one time, it was divided into two streets – theRue du Pot de Fer dite du Verger and theRue des Petits Augustins (also known variously in the late 16th century as theRue Bouyn,Petite rue de Seine,Rue de la Petite Seine and theChemin de la Noue). Its present form was established by government decree on 7 September 1845, which resulted in the opening of the part of the street between theBoulevard Saint-Germain and the Rue du Vieux-Colombier. Its name was subsequently changed on 12 August 1852 to commemorate theEmperor Napoleon I.
The nameRue Bonaparte was first proposed during the period of theConsulate; it was formally renamedSaint-Germain-des-Prés under theBourbon Restoration, and then officially regained the name ofBonaparte a few months after the coup ofLouis Napoleon Bonaparte, in August 1852.[1]
Rue Saint-Germain-des-Prés, opened in 1804, between theRue Jacob andSt-Germain-des-Prés, it was named variously theCour des Religieux,Rue Bonaparte,Rue de la Poste aux Chevaux and in 1816Rue Saint Germain des Prés, before finally reassuming its current name.
Rue Saint-Germain, between thePlace Saint-Germain-des-Prés and thePlace Saint-Sulpice was named in 1847. In 1804, this part of the street, which at times was known as the oldRue Saint-Germain-des-Prés, ran between the Rue Jacob and the Rue du Vieux Colombier.
Rue du Pot de Fer Saint-Sulpice, between the Rue du Vieux-Colombier and theRue de Vaugirard, was named in the 15th century theRuelle Saint-Sulpice, thenRuelle Henri du Vergier, thenRue du Verger. At the beginning of the 17th century, it was renamed theRue du Pot de Fer dite du Verger. Some historians[who?] suggest that it was also known as theRue des Jardins Saint-Sulpice andRue des Jésuites.
Rue du Luxembourg in 1879, was the name given to the part comprising the Rue de Vaugirard and theRue d'Assas, then in 1918, the nameRue Guynemer.
No. 5: Birthplace of the French painterÉdouard Manet (the street was then called the Rue des Petits Augustins) on 23 January 1832. Home of French field marshal and colonial administratorle Maréchal Hubert Lyautey from 1911 to 1934. French National Heritage site (Monument historique).
No. 16:Académie nationale de médecine (National Academy of Medicine). French National Heritage site (Monument historique).
No. 18: Site of the first provisional government ofCzechoslovakia in 1916. It is marked by a plaque which reads "Ici en 1916 le gouvernement provisoire tchecoslovaque établit son siège sous la présidence de T. G. Masaryk".
No. 19: Home of the French painterAmédée Jullien from 1861 to 1875. French National Heritage site (Monument historique).
No. 24: The American novelistHenry Miller stayed at no. 24 between 1928 and 1930 during which time he began his relationship with the American writerAnaïs Nin.
No. 30: The restaurant at no. 30, theCafé Pré aux Clercs, wasErnest Hemingway's favourite haunt in Paris.[3]
No. 31: TheSalon des Cent was established there in 1894.
No. 34: Workshop of the famous painter François Gerard. Home ofRomy Schneider in the 1970s and ofGeorges Wolinski from 1974 to 2008.
No. 36: Home of French philosopher and sociologistAuguste Comte, between 1817 and 1822, during which time he published his first essays.
No. 88: Dating from 1680, this 'hôtel particulier' was the home of French Cardinal, diplomat and man of letters,Melchior de Polignac, from 1732 until his death in 1742.[5] From 1794 until 1815, it was the residence of French Catholic priest,abolitionist and revolutionary,Abbé Gregoire.[6] French National Heritage site (Monument historique).
^Turner, Sarah A. M. (3 May 2024).Percy Moore Turner : connoisseur, impresario & art dealer. London.ISBN978-1-910787-80-9.OCLC990973672.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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