  Shown within Paris | |
| Length | 975 m (3,199 ft) |
|---|---|
| Width | 5.5 to 13 m (18 to 43 ft) |
| Arrondissement | 1st,3rd,4th |
| Coordinates | 48°51′42″N2°21′05″E / 48.861682°N 2.351447°E /48.861682; 2.351447 |
| From | Rue des Archives |
| To | Rue Coquillière |
| Construction | |
| Completion | 5 March 1838 |
TheRue Rambuteau (French pronunciation:[ʁyʁɑ̃byto]) is a street in centralParis, France, named after theCount de Rambuteau who started the widening of the road prior toHaussmann's renovation of Paris.[1]The philosopherHenri Lefebvre lived on the street and observed from his window therhythms of everyday life at the intersection located behind theCentre Georges Pompidou.[2]
The Rue Rambuteau connects the neighbourhood ofLes Halles, in the1st arrondissement, to theMarais district in the4th arrondissement. It fronts the Forum ofLes Halles and the north side ofCentre Georges Pompidou, and marks the boundary between the 3rd and 4th arrondissements. It occupies a special place in the history of Paris, because it is the first street to pierce the medieval centre, during the reign of KingLouis Philippe I, a few years before the great works ofBaron Haussmann. The Rue Rambuteau has a length of 975 metres (3,199 ft) and a width of 13 metres (43 ft).
The Rue Rambuteau was created by order of King Louis Philippe I dated 5 March 1838. In 1839, the street was given the name of the prefect of the Seine department, Claude Philibert Barthelot, Count Rambuteau. The new street absorbed the Rue des Ménétriers, between the Rue Beaubourg and the Rue Saint-Martin; the Rue de la Chanverrerie[a] between the Rue Saint-Denis and the Rue Mondétour; and the Rue Traînée between the Rue Montmartre et the Rue du Jour.[citation needed]
The prefect Rambuteau, at the request of residents,[3] decided in 1834 to create a street 13 metres (43 ft) wide, an important dimension for the time. The centre of Paris had hitherto kept its medieval urban fabric composed mainly of narrow streets where traffic was difficult and hygiene was poor. Taking office in 1833, a year after a major cholera epidemic, Rambuteau decided to implement the hygienist theories of the time by cutting a wide path through the centre of Paris. A few years later, the prefect Haussmann would apply Rambuteau's principles on a much larger scale in boulevards such as theBoulevard de Sébastopol that crosses the Rue Rambuteau.[4]
In 1904, the visionary urban plannerEugène Hénard presented a project for a new major east–west crossing of Paris.[5] The east–west artery, the new Avenue du Palais-Royal, would run along the route of the Rue Rambuteau, which would be expanded, through thePalais-Royal and into theAvenue de l'Opéra.[6] The avenue would pass through arches cut through the wings of the Palais-Royal.[7] It would intersect an expanded north–southRue de Richelieu in a roundabout, cutting into the west side of the Palais-Royal.[8] The entire project was discussed for several years, and in 1912 gave rise to great controversy within the Commission of Old Paris.[7] However, the proposal did not gain official support.[8]
The Rue Rambuteau is served by theRambuteau station at thePompidou Centre and theLes Halles station at theForum des Halles. The entrance to the latter station is inserted in the front of a building at no. 230.
