VM271 Revolutionary Paris

The 11th and 12th arrondissements have always been working class districts associated with popular uprisings in Paris. On this walk you will discover the Place de la Nation with its historic toll booths and columns, and the Faubourg Saint Antoine. Along the way you will hear about Europe’s oldest funfair, the revolutionary Philippe Fabre d'Eglantine who devised France’s Republican calendar, and the Réveillon wallpaper factory where a riot presaged the French Revolution. You will also see some of the fascinating courtyards and passages that were once filled with furniture workshops, and visit one of Paris’s best markets, the Marché d’Aligre.

Les 11e et 12e arrondissements ont été toujours des quartiers populaires associés avec des révoltes à Paris. Pendant cette promenade vous découvrirez la Place de la Nation avec ses bureaux d’octroi et ses colonnes historiques, et le Faubourg Saint Antoine. Vous entendrez l’histoire de la fête foraine la plus vieille en Europe, du révolutionnaire Philippe Fabre d’Eglantine qui a conçu le calendrier républicain de la France, et de l’usine de papier peint Réveillon où une émeute a présagé la révolution française. Vous verrez aussi quelques des cours fascinants qui abritaient des ateliers d’ébénisterie, et visitez un des meilleurs marchés à Paris, le Marché d’Aligre.

About the organiser: Pat Hallam arrived in Paris in summer 2020 and has been a member of WICE since autumn 2022. She has always been interested in the history of Paris and living here has enabled her to extend and deepen her knowledge – helped by her job as a tour guide. She is particularly interested in the outer arrondissements, which are full of history but often overlooked.