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Origin and history

The passage des Princes is a Parisian pedestrian covered passage in the 2nd arrondissement, inaugurated in 1860 under the name of Mirès, by the banker Jules Isaac Mirès. It was built on the site of the former Princes and Europe Hotel (1806–43), a palace purchased by Mirès to create a shortcut between the boulevard des Italiens and Rue de Richelieu. This project, authorized by a decree of 3 September 1860, marked the end of the great covered passages of Paris of the 19th century, despite the Haussmannian transformations which made many others disappear. Its architecture, sober but elegant, was distinguished by a double-slope window and metal arches in arabesques, appreciated for their taste and their spacious layout.

The rapid bankruptcy of Jules Mirès, a month after the opening, led to the resale of the passage to the Life Insurance Company (future AGF) in 1866. Between 1879 and 1883, the gallery of La Vie moderne, founded by the publisher Georges Charpentier, exhibited impressionist works, adding a cultural dimension to the place. Sentenced to five years in prison for his financial difficulties, Mirès briefly gave his name to Mazas prison, temporarily renamed the passage. Destroyed in 1985 for a real estate operation, it was reconstructed identically in 1995, with adjustments such as straight straight angle and the reuse of original elements, including a glass dome colored from the 1930s.

Since 2002, the town has been home to the JouéClub Village, a business space specializing in toys, closed permanently in 2022 due to economic difficulties (social movements, the crisis of the Covid-19, declining attendance). Despite these hazards, the passage of the Princes remains an architectural testimony of Haussmannian Paris, mixing commercial, cultural and urban history. Its facades, glass roof and floor have been protected since 1986 as historical monuments, preserving an emblematic heritage of the 2nd arrondissement.

The origin of the Princes' name passage dates back to the furnished hotel that once occupied the site, successively worn under various names (hotel des Princes, hotel of Europe) between 1806 and 1843. This place, frequented by an aristocratic clientele during the Restoration, reflected the social upheavals of the period, between noble emigration and urban modernization. The boulevard of the Italians, adjacent to the passage, itself carried names related to this period, highlighting the link between toponymy and political history.

Architecturally, the passage was characterized by a light metal structure, typical of the Second Empire's achievements, with a zenithal glass window illuminating a commercial gallery. The reconstruction work carried out in 1995 by architects A. Georgel and A. Mrowiec sought to restore this original spirit, while adapting spaces to contemporary uses (offices, housing, shops). The colourful glass dome, decorated with roses, and the access porch on Rue de Richelieu are among the rare elements of the era preserved, symbols of a heritage both functional and aesthetic.

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