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Key figures

Origin and history

Boulevard Haussmann is an iconic Parisian route, designed under the Second Empire by Prefect Haussmann to connect the Grand Boulevards to the Wall of the General Farmers. It is 2,530 metres long and crosses the 8th and 9th arrondissements, linking the boulevard des Italiens to Friedland Avenue. Its layout was made by masons of the Creuse, and it symbolizes the modernization of Paris with its cossus buildings and department stores such as Galeries Lafayette and Printemps.

The boulevard bears the name of Georges Eugène Haussmann (1809-1891), prefect of the Seine and craftsman of the urban transformations of Paris. Its drilling, begun in 1857, spanned several decades, with sections completed until 1926. Haussmann himself had to order the destruction of his home to allow his path. This boulevard embodies Haussmannian urban planning, combining circulation, prestige and functionality.

The Haussmann Boulevard houses historic buildings, such as the Commodore Hotel (the headquarters of the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg during the occupation), Marcel Proust's apartment (no. 102), or bank offices (General Corporation, Lazard). It is also marked by attacks, such as that of 1951 against Worms Bank, and cultural places such as the Jacquemart-André Museum (No. 158).

Personalities such as Gustave Caillebotte, who lived and painted views from his balcony (No. 31), or Geneviève Straus, whose living room brought together the artistic and political elite (No. 134), marked his history. The boulevard is also cited in literary (In search of lost time) and musical works (chansons of Alain Souchon or Nekfeu).

Today, Boulevard Haussmann remains a symbol of Paris, combining historical heritage, luxury trade and urban memory. Its layout and buildings reflect Haussmann's ambition: an airy, monumental and functional city, despite the controversies related to its initial destruction.

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