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Origin and history

The Guimard building of Picpus station is an emblematic part of the Parisian Art Nouveau heritage, designed by architect Hector Guimard for metro entrances at the beginning of the 20th century. Located at the corner of the avenue de Saint-Mandé and the boulevard de Picpus in the 12th arrondissement, it was inscribed in historical monuments by order of 12 February 2016. This access, unique for the station, is distinguished by its fixed staircase decorated with plant motifs characteristic of the Guimard style, typical of the original entrances of the network between 1900 and 1913.

The Picpus station itself was inaugurated on 1 March 1909 when the Italian Place–Nation section of Line 6 was put into service. Originally named Saint-Mandé in reference to the eponymous avenue leading to the neighbouring commune, it was renamed Picpus in 1937 to avoid confusion with the Saint-Mandé–Tourelle station of Line 1. This name change is part of a series of three similar changes on the network, illustrating the evolution of Parisian toponymy along the metro extensions.

The name Picpus comes from the adjacent boulevard, itself linked to the former hamlet of Pique-Puce, now integrated into the neighborhood. The station is also captioned as Courteline, in tribute to satirical author Georges Courteline (1858–1929), whose nearby avenue perpetuates memory. The Guimard church, the last witness to the station's original entrances, symbolizes both the history of Parisian transport and the artistic heritage of the Belle Époque.

In 2003, the station benefited from a renovation under the RATP's "Metro Renewal" programme, modernizing its corridors and lighting while preserving its historic character. With an annual attendance of about 1.3 million travellers before the health crisis of 2020, Picpus remains a modest but emblematic point of access to the network, close to sites such as the Picpus cemetery — where General La Fayette rests — or the Church of the Immaculate Conception.

Culturally, the station is evoked in several French songs, such as "La petite flea" by Sacha Distel (1966) or "Les peuples sont folly" by Renan Luce (2009), testifying to her anchoring in Parisian imagination. The Guimard edicle, by its rarity and style, today embodies a preserved fragment of the visual identity of the metro as conceived in its early days, between urban functionality and aesthetic ambition.

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