Rue de la Huchette, Paris

Paris_streetbox
arr_num=5e
streetname=Rue de la HUCHETTE
x=125
y=100
paris_

arr1=Ve
quart1=Sorbonne
begins=rue du Petit Pont
beginsnum=4
begins1=place du Petit Pont
beginsnum1=6
ends=place Saint-Michel
endsnum=3
length=164
width=10
creation=c. 1200
denomination= c. 1284
area_


caption=Rue de la Huchette, early morning

The rue de la Huchette is one of Paris' oldest Rive Gauche streets. Running eastward just below the Seine river from the place Saint-Michel, it is today an animated main artery of a district of restaurants and souvenir shops tailored to the tastes of tourism. Several guidebooks describe the street as being Bacteria Alley, and as a place to be avoided.

History

The rue de la Huchette existed as early as 1200 as the "rue de Laas", a road running adjacent to a walled vineyard property known then as the "clos du Laas". The property was sold and divided for urban development in the early 13th century, grew many noble properties in the centuries following, but from the 17th century the rue de la Huchette was known mostly for its taverns and "rotisseries" ("meat-cookers").

The inhabitants of la rue de la Huchette in the period leading up to the Second World War are portrayed in Elliot Paul's book The Last Time I Saw Paris.

Origin of the name

From around 1284 the name of a house on belonging to the Notre-Dame chapter, "À la Huchette d'Or", took the place of the former "rue de Laas" appellation.

Buildings of note

Odd numbers

* 13 - Building whose ground floor was an office where, from 1684, "apothicaires", or druggists, could find a boy nurse/assistant/coursier.
* 17 - Building's corner with the rue Xavier Privas engraved with street name and former arrondissement.
* 21 - Building dating from the Louis XV period.

Even numbers

* 4 - Building dating from 1729; its former sign "A la Hure d'Or" ("of the Golden Head") is still visible in its façade.
* 10 - Former "furnished apartment" house where Napoleon Bonaparte was said to have stayed between 1794-1795.
* 14 - Site of a shop of a 15th century needlemaker. Although the building dates from a later time, the "Y" signaling the shopowner's trade is still visible in a marble oval above the ground-floor façade. Also visible engraved into the stone at the building's corner with the Rue du Chat-qui-Pêche is the street's name and former arrondissement number.
* 16 - Building dating from the Louis XVI period.

Other Attractions

The street is known for its collection of Greek restaurants. The maitre d's of these establishments often shatter cheap plates on the street in front of their doors to attract attention and entice tourists inside.

Closest transport

*Métro line 4, Saint-Michel
*Métro line 10, Cluny - la Sorbonne
*RER C, Saint-Michel - Notre-Dame