Place Colette is a square in the

1st arrondissement of Paris The 1st arrondissement of Paris (''Ier arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is colloquially referred to as ''le premier'' (the first). It is governed locally toge ...

, France.

Location and access

The square is bordered to the north and east by wings of the

Palais-Royal The Palais-Royal () is a former royal palace located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. The screened entrance court faces the Place du Palais-Royal, opposite the Louvre. Originally called the Palais-Cardinal, it was built for Cardinal ...

(containing, to the north, the

Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatres in France. Founded in 1680, it is the oldest active theatre company in the world. Established as a French state-controlled entity in 1995, it is the only state ...

and to the east, the Conseil d'État), to the south by the

rue Saint-Honoré The rue Saint-Honoré is a street in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. It is named after the collegial situated in ancient times within the cloisters of Saint-Honoré. The street, on which are located a number of museums and upscale bou ...

and to the west by the

rue de Richelieu The Rue de Richelieu is a long street of Paris, starting in the south of the 1st arrondissement at the Comédie-Française and ending in the north of the 2nd arrondissement. For the first half of the 19th century, before Georges-Eugène Haussman ...

. An entrance to the Métro station, serving lines Paris transit icons - Métro 1

and

, is on Place Colette. It was redesigned by

Jean-Michel Othoniel Jean-Michel Othoniel (born 27 January 1964) is a French contemporary artist. He has worked in a variety of artistic media, including film, installation, photography and sculpture. In 2000 he designed a new entrance for the Palais Royal–Mus� ...

as the ''Kiosque des noctambules'' (Kiosk of the night-walkers), completed in October 2000 for the centenary of the Métro.

History

Place Colette had no name (it was simply part of the rue Saint-Honoré) until 1966 when it was named after the writer

Colette Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (; 28 January 1873 – 3 August 1954), known mononymously as Colette, was a French author and woman of letters. She was also a mime, actress, and journalist. Colette is best known in the English-speaking world for her ...

following a request by her only daughter,

Colette de Jouvenel Colette de Jouvenel, also known as Bel-Gazou, (July 19131981) was the French producer of an animated film. She was the daughter of French writer Colette and her second husband, Henri de Jouvenel. She was the half-sister of :fr:Renaud de Jouvene ...

, to

André Malraux Georges André Malraux ( , ; 3 November 1901 – 23 November 1976) was a French novelist, art theorist, and minister of cultural affairs. Malraux's novel ''La Condition Humaine'' (Man's Fate) (1933) won the Prix Goncourt. He was appointed by P ...

who was then

Minister of Culture A culture minister or a heritage minister is a common cabinet position in governments. The culture minister is typically responsible for cultural policy, which often includes arts policy (direct and indirect support to artists and arts organizati ...

Film location

The café "Le Nemours", in the façade of the Conseil d'État, has been used as a location for several films: *''

Conversations with My Gardener ''Conversations with My Gardener'' (french: Dialogue avec mon jardinier) is a 2007 French film directed by Jean Becker. Plot A painter returns from Paris to his childhood home in rural France. The painter notices that the house's once-impress ...

'' (2007) * ''The Tourist'' (2010) *''

The Intouchables ''The Intouchables'' (french: Intouchables, ), also known as ''Untouchable'' in the UK and Ireland, is a 2011 French buddy comedy-drama film written and directed by Olivier Nakache & Éric Toledano. It stars François Cluzet and Omar Sy. Nine w ...

'' (2011)

References

Buildings and structures in the 1st arrondissement of Paris Colette {{Paris-geo-stub