Rue du Chevaleret

The street of Chevaleret is located at the south-east of the town of Paris and the 13th district of Paris.

It is bordered by the districts of the Station (Northern), Left bank (Is), Masséna (Southern) and Jeanne d' Arc (Western). In the same way, this street is bordered on most of its length by the railway leading to the Gare of Austerlitz.

Having a very easy access for the pedestrians thanks to the stations Chevaleret (Ligne 6 of the subway of Paris) and Library François Mitterrand (Ligne 14 of the subway of Paris and the RER C), the street suffers however from a certain insulation within the district, in particular because of the presence of the railway line previously quoted which borders it, and of the topographic configuration of the places. Indeed, it is with the foot of a natural unevenness of the ground, going down from the Rue of Patay. Important the Rue of Tolbiac is satisfied to cross the street of Chevaleret by means of a viaduct and the passage from one street to another is carried out by means of two staircases located on both sides viaduct.

This insulation is brought to disappear thanks to the development from the ZAC Paris Left bank, which in the long term will cover by a flagstone with concrete the railway and will carry out a direct connection with the new district Paris Left bank.

History

Before the XIXe century

Little information is available as for the old story of the street of Chevaleret. Until Paris extends its limits until the 13th district of Paris in 1843, the grounds on which the current street of Chevaleret was depended on the commune very close to Ivry-sur-Seine, which extended then until the Boulevard Vincent Auriol (named boulevard of the Station until in 1971).

Until the complete urbanization of the district, at the 19th century, the sector was covered with farms if one refers to the charts of Paris going back to the 16th century. Being located at the same level as the banks of the the Seine, these grounds were favourable with the market gardening and the vine (fame with the Moyen-âge), but often subjected to the risings. Lastly, the sector of surrounding was truffle of careers, exploited since the 17th century. The carriers will be the first inhabitants of the street of Chevaleret. It is finally necessary to announce since the 17th century at the latest, the presence of the Croix Jarry on the level of the current crossing between the street of Chevaleret and the Rue Watt. This cross would have commemorated the assassination in this place of certain Jarry.

It is certain that a local road borrowed the layout of the current street. One refers to a way known as of Chevaleret in 1670. The etymology remains obscure. Two options are generally retained: this name would come from the name of the owner of the grounds or of nature from the small local road which crossed the vines, and which allowed only the passage of a horse of face. This second assumption seems however not very credible: a family of the name of Chevaleret (extinct since the medium of the XXe century) indeed lived with Ivry-sur-Seine. The origin of this Patronym which can indeed carry to confusion: With the the Middle Ages, chevaleret could nominate a knight modest condition or a person of its entourage, in particular a rider.

Always it is that the way of Chevaleret finds its origin in the Faubourg Saint-Victor. The way followed at the time a small channel connecting to the Beaver to the Abbaye Saint-Victor. The establishment of the garden of the king and the Salpétrière made disappear this portion from the way, which connected at the origin the abbey with Ivry-sur-Seine.

The existence of the way is attested within Paris of Roussel in 1730. With the Wall of the Farmers general, the Paris and its suburbs approached the sector, with the Barrière of Italy and of the station, but the sector remained still the quasi-exclusive field of the carriers and peasants.

XIXe century

With industrialization, the street of Chevaleret becomes " sharp a body, larded scars of all the generations, violent and soft in-depth, however mobile and vigilant, woven invisible fables… " (G. - has. Langois, the Thirteenth District )

As from the years 1850, the urbanization of the street began indeed in parallel with the very fast development from the rail traffic coming from the close Gare of Austerlitz. As the Compagnie of the railroad from Paris to Orleans acquire grounds along the street and installs maintenance workshops there, the street starts to become populated.

Just like the remainder of the East of the 13th district of Paris, the street Chevaleret gathered many workmen: the late urbanization of this sector has allowed the installation of industries, workshops and warehouses which could not find their place in the historical center of Paris, already over-populated. The proximity of the means of transport (railroad, river port of Bercy, Line of Small Belt) allowed a provisioning and an easy forwarding. Moreover, of many workmen living street of Chevaleret worked with the workshops of the Gare of Austerlitz (located even side of the street) and with the factories Panhard and Say all close relations.

With the n°119, the Work of Saint Casimir is (), convalescent home maintained by Polish sisters about the Sisters the Charity, built in 1860. It was created in order to accommodate the Polish nobility, having flees their country following the revolution of 1830. Cyprian Kamil Norwid (poet, painter, playwright, 1821-1883) there was accommodated of 1877 until its death.

XXe century

During the Beautiful Time, the district is subjected to the juvenile delinquency of Apaches, returning the frequentation of this boxed and isolated street particularly dangerous. Industries leaving gradually Paris as from the Fifties, a new type of population of workers not-workmen and immigrant was established there, returning the street calmer, but often quoted in the headings news items.

Symbol of the modest character of the district: in 1934, the Salvation Army makes build a hearth by Le Corbusier, which always exists with the n°37. During the Funny of war, Joséphine Baker there accomplished the role of I.P.S.A. (Pilot Nurses of the Sanitary services), the hearth for homeless people being transformed into place of reception for the refugees of the Exodus.

Léo Malet, while locating the action of one of its novels of the series Nestor Burma, Fog with the bridge of Tolbiac , in the middle of the years 1950, returns very well the atmosphere of the district of then. Jacques Tardi will adapt this novel in the form of data base besides

The street of Chevaleret will lose this reputation of dangerosity only at the end of the years 1990, thanks to the revival impelled by the project Paris Left bank and the construction of the National library of France.

These great projects gave a new breath to the street. Even if she still suffers from her relative insulation because of her cashing and of the railway which borders it, of many road works were carried out, the arrival of the Ligne 14 of the subway of Paris allows an easier circulation it.

Places of interest

In 2000, several galleries of Contemporary art settled in the street and in the vicinity (in particular in the Rue Louise-Weiss). There is a fortnight currently.

The rupture between the new district Paris Left bank and this old district is on the way to disappear, with the future covering of the railway line by a concrete flagstone on which a unit combining will be built public residences, equipment, parks and offices, while integrating the markets SERNAM, symbol of the industrial past of the district. The realization of this project is envisaged until 2010.

District of the Station (Parisian district)

See too

the official site of the SEMAPA contains many information on the operation of town planning.
the participative study on the Tolbiac-Chevaleret district, the site of the town hall of the 13th district of Paris
the article of Jean-Marc Berlière in the Historia magazine concerning the phenomenon of Apaches during the Beautiful Time.
the City-Refuge of the Salvation Army on the site of the ministry for the Culture.

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