Paris1972-Versailles2003

I am again to tell you about a particular area of my eternal Paris that brings lots of memorable moments. I have many many posts on Paris and several on the streets of the most beautiful city in the world. I have come up with pictures from cd rom vault that should be here for you and me.  As always thank you for following my blog some since November 26, 2010. Therefore, here is my take on the Banque de France in Paris, part II !! Hope you enjoy it as I.

The most interesting part here is the creation of the Le Cité de l’Économie or Citéco , a museum dedicated to the economy . it was open to the public on June 14, 2019 ,This educational venue, aimed at explaining the concepts and mechanisms of the economy, is funded by sponsorship from the Banque de France. It is housed in the Hôtel Gaillard, located at 1, place du Général-Catroux, a historic neo-Renaissance monument, located in the 17éme arrondissement in Paris .This neo-Renaissance mansion, whose construction was completed in 1882 , The hôtel Gaillard was sold to the Banque de France in 1919 , and was the most beautiful branch of the Banque de France.

It is located at the place du Général-Catroux , This rectangular square is crossed by Boulevard Malesherbes and Avenue de Villiers; it is joined by Rue Henri-Rochefort, Rue de Phalsbourg, Rue de Thann, Rue Georges-Berger, Rue Legendre, and Rue Jacques-Bingen. This site is served by Line 3 at the Malesherbes metro station.

This area was until the 1850s and 1860s, the Monceau plain remained an agricultural land crossed by rural roads. As part of the urbanization of this area by the Pereire brothers, the Boulevard Malesherbes, planned on the site of an existing road, and the Boulevard de Neuilly (now Avenue de Villiers) were traced and a rectangular square was planned at their intersection. Opened in 1862 on the site of a park, this square was officially named Place Malesherbes in 1864. However, it was long nicknamed Place des Trois Dumas, because of the three statues of the Dumas, which adorn the center of this square. It took its current name of place du Général-Catroux in 1977. On September 26, 2020, the Solitude garden was inaugurated, formed by the northern lawns of the square, where a statue of Solitude was erected by Didier Audrat, inaugurated on May 10, 2022. Solitude, whose first name was Rosalie, born around 1772 in Guadeloupe and died on November 29, 1802 on the same island, is a historical figure embodying a posteriori the resistance of black slaves fighting against the reestablishment of slavery in 1802 by Napoleon Bonaparte. Following the failure of Louis Delgrès’ resistance movement against the colonial forces, she was sentenced to death at the age of 30. In 1972, André Schwarz-Bart dedicated the novel La Mulâtresse Solitude to her.

The notable buildings, and other monuments on this square are at No. 1: Hôtel Gaillard, (see above) built for Émile Gaillard, regent of the Banque de France and art collector, to house his collections of furniture, trinkets, paintings, etc. The red brick building, inspired by the architecture of the châteaux of Blois and Gien, was built from 1878 to 1882. After Émile Gaillard’s death in 1902, his collections were dispersed and the hotel was bought by the Banque de France in 1919 to become a branch. An entrance exists at No. 11ter, rue Georges-Berger, where the building is referred to as the Hôtel Berger. No. 20: This is a private mansion where the composer Charles Gounod lived from 1878 until his death; its façade has since been extensively altered. The Monument to General Thomas Alexandre Dumas, by Alphonse Emmanuel de Moncel de Perrin, 1912. He is depicted leaning on a rifle. He was sent to be melted down under the Vichy regime in 1942. The City of Paris erected on its site Fers, created in 2009 by Driss Sans-Arcidet, representing a monumental broken chain in memory of General Dumas, born a slave in Haiti. A project to reinstall the original monument was carried out in 2024 by the Association of Friends of Alexandre Dumas with the support of the Fondation du Patrimoine (Heritage Foundation). Monument to Alexandre Dumas père (father), by Gustave Doré, inaugurated on November 4, 1883 in the presence of a huge crowd. A statue of D’Artagnan flanks the rear face of the pedestal. Monument to Alexandre Dumas,fils (son) by René de Saint-Marceaux, 1906. Alexandre Dumas fils was one of the first writers to live in the Plaine Monceau, a place of painters, actors and musicians. He resided at 98, Avenue de Villiers. Monument to Sarah Bernhardt, (see photo) by François Sicard, 1926, depicts the actress in the title role of Racine’s Phèdre. She had a hotel at the end of the square, at the corner of Avenue de Villiers and Rue Fortuny. Monument to Edmond Rostand, inaugurated on June 28, 2023, bust by the sculptor Patrick Berthaud, replica of the one made to Sarah Benhardt, at the initiative of Thomas Sertillanges, president of the Edmond Rostand Festival. He lived at 2 rue Fortuny, where he wrote Cyrano de Bergerac.

The official Banque de France on its history: https://www.banque-france.fr/fr/banque-de-france/institution-ancree-histoire/entrouvrez-portes

The Paris tourist office on the Cité de l’économie or Citeco: https://parisjetaime.com/eng/tickets/entrance-ticket-to-citeco-cite-de-l-economie-m9001044

There you go folks, another dandy beautiful area of my eternal Paris.I have criss cross them many and have many in my blog already, Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Banque de France in Paris, part II !! as I.

And remember happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!