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Key figures

Origin and history

The Guimard building of the Palais-Royal - Musée du Louvre station, located in Place du Palais-Royal and Rue de Rivoli in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, was designed in 1900 by the architect Hector Guimard for the Compagnie générale du Métropolitain de Paris. These accesses, characteristic of the Art Nouveau style, were inaugurated during the opening of the metro line 1 in July 1900, between Porte de Vincennes and Porte Maillot. They symbolize the architectural and aesthetic innovation of the time, marking the entrance into the modern era of urban transport.

The Guimard edicles of this station have been subject to heritage protection since 1978, with an inscription as historic monuments extended in 2016. These cast iron and glass structures, decorated with vegetal curves typical of Art Nouveau, were originally designed to be reproduced in series through Paris. Today, they are the last visible evidence of this architectural style in the network, after the replacement or removal of many other similar accesses during the 20th century.

The Palais-Royal - Musée du Louvre station, to which these edicles give access, has evolved over time. Opened in 1900 for line 1, it was extended in 1916 with the arrival of line 7, becoming a major connecting point. The successive renovations (1970-2010) have modernized its interiors, but the exterior Guimard edicles remain intact elements of its original heritage. Their preservation illustrates the importance attached to the memory of the Parisian metro, combining urban functionality and artistic heritage.

In 2000, on the occasion of the centenary of the metro, Place Colette welcomed a contrasting contemporary work: Le Kiosque des noctambules by Jean-Michel Othoniel, highlighting the duality between tradition (edicules Guimard) and modernity. The buildings of the Palais-Royal station, with their organic motifs and wrought iron structure, continue to fascinate with their timeless elegance, while recalling Paris' pioneering role in public transport.

The protected elements specifically include the surroundings of the accesses located Place du Palais-Royal and Rue de Rivoli, near the Louvre Museum. These edicles, although designed as reproducible industrial objects, have become icons of Parisian heritage, celebrated for their avant-garde design and harmonious integration into urban space. Their preservation reflects a late recognition of their historical and aesthetic value, after decades of contempt for Art Nouveau.

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