The Place Harvey Milk is a public square in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. It lies at a junction in

Le Marais The Marais (Le Marais ; "the marsh") is a historic district in Paris, France. Having once been an aristocratic district, it is home to many buildings of historic and architectural importance. It spreads across parts of the 3rd and 4th arr ...

, at the intersection of the

Rue des Archives The Rue des Archives is a street in The Marais at the border of 3rd and 4th arrondissements of Paris, France. Location and access The street is located in Le Marais district of central Paris. It is served by the metro stations ''Hôtel de Vil ...

and the Rue de la Verrerie, at the heart of the French capital.

Access

The nearest métro station is Hôtel de Ville Metro-M

. The La Verrerie bus stop on

RATP Bus Network The RATP bus network covers the entire territory of the city of Paris and the vast majority of its near suburbs. Operated by the Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (RATP), this constitutes a dense bus network complementary to other public ...

line is located on the square, which can also be reached by lines at Place du Châtelet and

Rue de Rivoli Rue de Rivoli (; English: "Rivoli Street") is a street in central Paris, France. It is a commercial street whose shops include leading fashionable brands. It bears the name of Napoleon's early victory against the Austrian army, at the Battle of Ri ...

bus stops.

History

In 2019, the Council of Paris decided to pay homage to the late San Francisco politician and pioneer of gay rights

Harvey Milk Harvey Bernard Milk (May 22, 1930 – November 27, 1978) was an American politician and the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Milk was born and raised in N ...

. The square was inaugurated by local officials on June 19 of that year, in the presence of Milk's nephew Stuart Milk. The same day, the city of Paris also honoured the American artist Gilbert Baker, gay rights activist, creator of the Rainbow Flag and friend of Harvey Milk, with an official plaque in his memory at the nearby

Place des Émeutes-de-Stonewall The Place des Émeutes-de-Stonewall is a public square in Paris, France. History For the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, the City of Paris named a square to pay homage to the riots. The new square was inaugurated by French officials on ...

Features

The square stands 100m from the

Paris City Hall Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, the seat of the

Council of Paris The Council of Paris ( French: ''Conseil de Paris'') is the deliberative body responsible for governing Paris, the capital of France. It possesses both the powers of a municipal council (''conseil municipal'') and those of a departmental counc ...

, whose members voted to pay tribute to their late counterpart from San Francisco, who was assassinated in November 1978. Looking from the place Harvey Milk towards the Hôtel de Ville,

Notre-Dame-de-Paris Notre-Dame de Paris (; meaning "Our Lady of Paris"), referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the Seine River), in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. The cathedral, dedicated to the ...

can be seen in perspective. One year prior to the renaming of the junction, rainbow zebra crossings in the vicinity, which had been painted to commemorate Paris Pride, were tagged with homophobic graffiti. In response, the city council made the rainbow crossings permanent. The naming of the junction after Harvey Milk was praised by anti-homophobia organizations. An entrance to the famous department store Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville stands at one corner of the square.

Gallery

File:HotelVilleParis.JPG, Paris City Hall, 100m from the place Harvey Milk, is located inside Le Marais, the Parisian

gay village A gay village is a geographical area with generally recognized boundaries that is inhabited or frequented by many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBT) people. Gay villages often contain a number of gay-oriented establish ...

. File:La pharmacie en nocturne, Paris octobre 2018.jpg, NW corner of the square : Pharmacie de la Mairie (Pharmacy). File:Rue de la Verrerie (41785165940).jpg, NE corner of the square : Brasserie Le Carrefour (Restaurant and café). File:Rue des Archives-BHV.JPG, SW corner of the square : Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville (department store). File:Café la Comète, Le Marais, Paris 13 April 2006.jpg, SE corner of the square : former La Comète restaurant. The premises are to be replaced by a boutique hotel.

References

External links