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July 14, 2024 11 mins

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What if the Paris Metro could speak? Would it tell tales of visionary engineers and architects or stories of resilience through two world wars? Join me, Angela, on a captivating exploration of the Paris Metro's history and evolution in this first installment of our two-part series. We’ll take you back to the late 19th century, when traffic chaos and inspiration from London’s Underground spurred the creation of this iconic transit system. Meet the masterminds, Fulgence Bienvenu and Hector Guimard, whose contributions transformed the Metro into a masterpiece of engineering and Art Nouveau elegance.

As we journey through the early 20th century’s rapid expansion, witness the Metro’s unwavering growth during the interwar period, and marvel at its post-WWII modernization. Learn about the significant additions of lines like 13 and 14, and discover the innovative driverless trains that have turned every ride into an adventure, especially for children. Whether you're planning your first trip to Paris or you're a seasoned Francophile, this episode promises to enrich your understanding of how to use, and appreciation of the Paris Metro, making your next journey through the City of Light both easier and more enchanting.

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Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Paris Metro will be an indispensable part of your
Paris experience.
Metro is short forMétropolitain, the Paris Metro,
and it has been around for avery long time.
I'm so happy to have it.
Hello, lovelies, welcome to theParis with Angela podcast, the

(00:35):
podcast for Paris lovers andtrip planners.
You don't have to be heading toParis.
Maybe you're just a Francophileand you just need some good
factoid input.
Today's show is all for you,because we are going to start
with part one of a two-partseries on the Paris Metro.
No doubt, if you are planningto visit the City of Light,

(00:58):
you're aware that this is publictransportation ground zero.
This city was made forpedestrians.
It's one of the reasons I loveit so much.
Over other major cities Chicago, london Paris has got it down
when it comes to being theperfect place for pedestrians,

(01:19):
and over the next couple daysI'm going to talk to you all
about getting around in thisfabulous, beautiful place.
So of course, you know me.
We're going to start with alittle history.
The Paris Metro will be anindispensable part of your Paris
experience.
Metro is short for MétroPolitin, the Paris Metro, and it

(01:40):
has been around for a very longtime.
I'm so happy to have it.
It's one of my favorite thingsto do on my tours is teach my
guests how to use the metro.
I want to instill in them aconfidence in getting around the
city.
Many times my guests have neverleft the country, they're
traveling solo and I want themto know how to navigate this

(02:02):
wonderful, wonderful space.
By the late 1800s, paris wasfacing traffic congestion due to
rapid growth and expansion, andthey were looking over at
London and seeing the LondonUnderground, and there was an
increasing demand for an urbanrail system in Paris.
So the French government andthe city of Paris started

(02:23):
discussing the need for anunderground transit system in
the late 19th century.
The plan was formally approvedin 1898, and the project was
driven by engineer FulgenceHow's that for a name, fulgence
Bienvenu?
And architect Hector Guimardand, truth be told, I hope I'm

(02:44):
saying Hector's name correctly,his last name, that is.
He later became known for thosebeautiful Art Nouveau station
entrances that are so iconicstill to this day.
Listen to the first episode ofthis show.
We talked about the ExpositionUniverselle.
You know there were multiple,multiple ones that took place

(03:05):
over a variety of years.
In 1900, france also had aWorld's Fair, and that is when
the first line, line 1, wasopened.
Line 1 connected Porte deVincennes in the east to Porte
Mayo in the west.
We are going to learn what itmeans when you hear the word
porte, which looks likeP-O-R-T-E as you're reading your

(03:26):
French travel guides.
We're going to learn what thatword means, in particular when
you're talking about the city ofParis in the next episode in
this series on the Paris Metro.
By the early 20th century thenetwork was expanding rapidly
and in the first decades of the20th century it was hot.
By 1920 the Paris Metro had 10lines and covered most of the

(03:50):
center city.
Now, in the interwar periodthat is, world War I, world War
II the system did continue togrow.
By adding more lines andextending existing ones.
The focus was on improvingconnectivity and serving the
growing population.
After World War II, the metrosaw further expansion and, of

(04:13):
course, modernization.
Expansion and, of course,modernization, and stations
experienced refurbishments andimproved capacity and efficiency
, which, thank goodness, they'restill doing today.
In the late 20th century, in the1960s and the 1970s, we saw
constructions of new lines, suchas Line 13 and Line 14.
These lines once againaccommodated the city's growing

(04:37):
needs.
Line 14 opened in 1998.
It became the first fullyautomated line featuring
driverless trains.
Now I want to talk to parentsthat are taking their children
to Paris, because the driverlesstrains are very fun.
Today, some of the trains havebuilt-in fake panels at the

(04:58):
front and back cars and yourchildren can pretend to drive
the trains.
My boys in particular lovedthat.
If you'd like an episode, ormultiple episodes, on Paris with
children, be sure to let meknow in the comments if you're
watching over on YouTube or whenyou're leaving a review of this
podcast.
Now, as you can imagineconstructing something like an

(05:22):
underground railroad system in acity that dates back to before
the time of the Caesars thingsare going to be discovered, and
that's where I get excited.
For example, kingLouis-Philippe's Wall was
discovered.
This was a defensive wall builtaround Paris in the mid-19th

(05:42):
century.
It's been since mostlydismantled, but remnants and
historical references can befound within the city and in the
infrastructure of the city,like the metro system.
So if you're on the lookout forLouis-Philippe's Wall, you will
find it on line 4 at Porte deClignancourt.
Near this station, you can findremnants of the wall's northern

(06:05):
sections.
You can find it at Porte de laVillette, at line 7, porte du
Pertin, line 5, porte deVersailles, line 12, and many
more which I will list either inthe show notes or in an
upcoming newsletter.
So be sure to check the shownotes in case there is a
subscription opportunity for youto get signed up to the Paris

(06:26):
with Angela newsletter and thatway I can give you written
information to help you planyour very best trip.
At Louvre Rivoli, line 1, youwill see parts of the wall.
These can be seen inside theLouvre Rivoli station.
So this is a really popularstation that no doubt you're
going to pass through.
The station is really beautiful.

(06:48):
It features a historical theme,with display cases showing
artifacts from periods ofParisian history, including the
wall.
You'll also see it at Bastille,line 1, line 5, line 8.
The Bastille station,particularly on Line 1, features
visible remains of the wall,and the station's platform and

(07:08):
quarters have sections where theancient stones have been
preserved and displayed.
Again, I will include more ofthis information either in the
show notes or in an upcomingnewsletter, so be sure to check
out the show notes of thisinformation, either in the show
notes or in an upcomingnewsletter.
So be sure to check out theshow notes of this special
edition of the podcast so youcan see which direction I decide
to go.
The podcast is brand new.

(07:29):
I haven't decided if we'regoing to do a newsletter yet or
blog or put everything in theshow notes, but I have lots more
information to share with you.
But I have lots moreinformation to share with you.
As you can tell, the creation ofthe metro and the ongoing
expansion of the metro reallyturned out to be a significant
urban archaeological project,revealing layers of the city's

(07:52):
history.
This contributed to the fieldof urban archaeology and helped
really shape this modernunderstanding that we have of
Paris today.
Discoveries during the metroconstruction led to increased
efforts to preserve and documentParis's historical and
archaeological heritage.
Many finds have been catalogedand are displayed in museums,

(08:16):
enriching the cultural historyof the city.
You didn't even think it waspossible to make it a more
culturally rich city.
Think again.
So not only Louis-Philippe'sWall, but also the ancient city
of Lutèce plays a role in thebuilding of the Paris metro.
Lutèce Lutèceia is the ancientname of the city of Paris and

(08:37):
near Notre Dame, the cathedralwhich, yes, is opening this year
in December and we willdefinitely do an episode on that
but workers found remnants ofthe ancient Roman city of Lutus,
including parts of the RomanForum and the public baths.
These discoveries providedvaluable historical context and,

(08:59):
of course, were carefullydocumented and preserved where
possible.
So that's a little bit of thehistory of the metro that you
will use, no doubt, multipletimes a day when you're visiting
.
But how to use it, how to getaround, how to pay for it, how
to navigate it and how to makeit serve you during your

(09:20):
vacation and get the very bestexperience you can in the city
of light?
Tune in to the next episode ofParis with Angela.
I'm going to tell youeverything you need to know and
feel confident and fabulous onthe Paris metro.
Today's show is sponsored bydryfarmwinescom forward slash
Paris with Angela.
These are biodynamic, organicwines.

(09:41):
These are the wines that Idrink.
They are from small familyfarms in France, french chateaus
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Biodynamic wines are, in fact,becoming more and more popular
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You can be treated to an extrabottle for a penny with your

(10:05):
first order.
You can subscribe or place aone-time order by visiting
dryfarmwinescom forward slashParis with Angela, of course, if
you'd like to come on one of mytrips in 2025, I have eight
spaces left for April and thereare two different trips to
choose from.
You can visitparisianfarmgirlcom forward
slash Paris with Angela.

(10:26):
Parisian Farm Girl is thechannel that started it all.
Of course, I'd love for you tocheck that out if you were
interested in inspiring Frenchlifestyle content.
Thank you so much for beinghere.
Tune in to the next episode ofthe podcast If you're watching
on YouTube, leave a comment,tell me about some of the
historical things that you'veseen when traversing the Paris
metro and tune in to the nextepisode, because I'm going to

(10:48):
tell you exactly how to use it.
I'll see you all again verysoon.
Thanks for joining Paris withAngela, the podcast for Paris
lovers and trip planners.
A bientôt.
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