At first glance, this entrance on Boulevard de Courcelles in the 17th arrondissement looks almost like a pedestrian passageway dug into the pavement, particularly with all the building work going on behind it. It is, of course, something rather more useful, an entrance to Villiers station, serving Paris Métro Lines 2 and 3.
The station opened in 1903, with Line 3 following in 1904. This particular entrance is one of the surviving Hector Guimard designs. Created for the early Métro, its distinctive cast-iron curves and plant-like decoration are now part of Paris's architectural heritage. The entrance on Boulevard de Courcelles was officially protected as a historic monument in 2016.
It certainly looks like an underground passageway designed to get pedestrians around the building works. It isn't — but it does take you underground, just as Guimard intended more than 120 years ago.
Happy Monday everyone!
“Every journey begins somewhere — in Paris, it often begins underground.”
Part of the “Metro Mondays” Series
Each Monday, we travel beneath Paris — tracing its stories, moods, and motion through the tunnels that carry the week into being.
© About Paris — Métro Mondays · Back to Home
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