Bastille and French Revolution
The Bastille metro station boasts a remarkable themed decoration centred on the French Revolution as it is one of Paris’s cultural Metro stations.
The vast Place de la Bastille was laid out on the site of the Bastille Fortress. The Colonne de Juillet – July Column was erected at its centre to commemorate the 19th-century revolutions.
Contemporary artists have managed to capture an idyllic image of the French Revolution!
While this decisive event in French history freed the people from an authoritarian royal regime, it also resulted in many tragic and unnecessary deaths.
July 14th marks Bastille Day is a French National Day, which commemorates the beginning of the Revolution, when the old Bastille fortress, a symbol of royal power, was taken (July 1789) and gradually demolished.
Paris Metropolitain – Line 1
The first lines of the Métropolitain de Paris – Paris metro were built at the turn of the 20th century.
The Bastille Metro station was inaugurated on July 19, 1900, on Line 1, which connected the Porte de Vincennes to the Porte Maillot.
The foundations of the old Bastille fortress were unearthed during the extension work on Line 5 on December 17, 1906.
Yellow lines were then drawn on the ground to mark the route.
Today, the Bastille Metro station serves three metro lines: two are underground, while Line 1 (Château de Vincennes – Esplanade de la Défense) is fully automated and has open-air platforms.
Bastille Metro station murals
In 1989, ceramists Liliane Belembert and Odile Jacquot adorned the walls of these open-air quays with ceramic tiles specially created to commemorate the bicentenary of the French Revolution.
These decorative tiles vividly depict allegorical scenes and key moments of the Revolution. Each tile pays tribute to the men and women who shaped this event and laid the foundations and principles of the French Republic.
These scenes are painted in bright, cheerful colours, without gilding, and on a straw-yellow background to create a more contemporary aesthetic.
A visit to the Bastille Metro station is a must for any visitor to Paris!
Directions: 12th/4th District
Metro: Bastille Line 1
Coordinates: Lat 48.853082 – Long 2.369002
