Initial opening 19 novembre 1904 (≈ 1904)
Inauguration under the name *Rue Saint-Denis* (line 3).
15 octobre 1907
Change of name
Change of name 15 octobre 1907 (≈ 1907)
Becoming *Reaumur-Sébastopol* before arrival line 4.
21 avril 1908
Arrival line 4
Arrival line 4 21 avril 1908 (≈ 1908)
Commissioning of the Porte de Clignancourt–Châtelet section.
1910
Crue de la Seine
Crue de la Seine 1910 (≈ 1910)
Flooding of docks, interruption of traffic.
1966–1967
Modernisation line 4
Modernisation line 4 1966–1967 (≈ 1967)
Extension of MP 59.
2017–2019
Automation line 4
Automation line 4 2017–2019 (≈ 2018)
Upgrading of docks and pallet doors.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Hector Guimard - Architect
Creator of the Art Nouveau buildings of the metro.
René-Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur - Physicist and naturalist
Tribute via the eponymous street (1683–1757).
Origin and history
Réaumur-Sébastopol station, located at the edge of the 2nd and 3rd arrondissements of Paris, is a key hub of the metropolitan network, served by lines 3 and 4. Originally opened as Rue Saint-Denis on 19 November 1904 — one month after the inauguration of the first section of Line 3 — it was renamed Réaumur-Sébastopol on 15 October 1907 in anticipation of the arrival of Line 4, effective 21 April 1908. His name pays tribute both to the physicist René-Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur (1683–57) and to the siege of Sevastopol (1854–55), symbol of the Crimean war. The station was flooded during the centennial flood of the Seine in 1910, disrupting traffic for several weeks.
One of its accesses, the Guimard church (access No. 2 Rue Réaumur), is a rare vestige of the Art Nouveau style that characterized the entrances of the Paris metro at the beginning of the 20th century. Designed by the architect Hector Guimard (1867–1942), this metal entourage, adorned with vegetal curves and glass windows, was massively removed after 1945 in favour of more sober models. Access No. 2, with its narrow staircases and simplified portals (with the inscription "Metro" rather than "Metropolitan"), illustrates the technical adaptations imposed by the smallness of the Parisian streets. Accesses nos 3 (Rue Saint-Denis) also retain Guimard elements, testifying to the artistic heritage of this period.
The station has undergone several major upgrades. Between 1966 and 1967, the wharves on line 4 were extended to accommodate six-car trainsets as part of their conversion to pneumatic bearing. The 1990s saw the replacement of the original metal carrossage with a "Oui-dire" decoration (blue light strips, white tile aligned), before the automation of line 4 in 2017–2019 n The wharfs of line 3, renovated in 2015, were restored to their original bevelled white tile, while signs evoking the press (with reference to the former newspaper seats on Rue Réaumur) were added.
Located below the intersection of Rue Réaumur and Boulevard de Sébastopol, the station serves emblematic neighbourhoods: the Trail (historical for textiles and fashion), Montorgueil (animated food market), and Gaîté-Lyrique (cultural place dedicated to digital arts). Nearby, the square Émile-Chautemps and the churches Saint-Martin-des-Champs (XI century) and Saint-Nicolas-des-Champs (XII century) recall the medieval heritage of the Marais. The resort, frequented by more than 5 million travellers annually before 2020, embodies a mixture of technical modernity and urban memory.
The popular culture has taken its name: episode 41 of the Short series (2011) the parody under the name "Censure-Sébastopol", in protest against the refusal of RATP to allow a critical shooting in the metro. In Les Dingodossiers de Gotlib (1965–1968), a humorous vignette also turned its name in "Reaumur dans le métro", playing on the anachronism of the naturalist lost in the underground corridors. These winks highlight its anchor in the Parisian imagination, between daily utility and heritage symbol.
