The rue de la Huchette is one of the oldest streets running along the Rive Gauche in Paris, France. Running eastward just below the

Seine ) , mouth_location = Le Havre/Honfleur , mouth_coordinates = , mouth_elevation = , progression = , river_system = Seine basin , basin_size = , tributaries_left = Yonne, Loing, Eure, Risle , tributarie ...

river from the

Place Saint-Michel The Place Saint-Michel is a public square in the Latin Quarter, on the borderline between the fifth and sixth arrondissements of Paris, France. It lies on the left bank of the river Seine facing the Île de la Cité, to which it is linked by ...

, it is today an animated Latin Quarter artery with one of the highest concentrations of restaurants in the city, Greek specialties predominating. It is situated between Boulevard Saint-Michel and Rue du Petit-Pont and faces the cathedral of

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 ...

. This almost exclusively pedestrian street is very popular with

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mo ...

s. Disdained by some guidebooks as "Bacteria Alley", the street nevertheless has an intense night life with no fewer than four pubs and several bars. The street is celebrated by the American writer Elliot Paul, who lived there in the 1920s and 30s, in ''The Last Time I Saw Paris'' (1942).

History

The rue de la Huchette existed as early as 1200 as the ''rue de Laas'', a road running adjacent to a walled vineyard property known then as the ''clos du Laas''. The property was sold and divided for urban development in the early 13th century, grew many noble properties in the centuries following, but from the 17th century the ''rue de la Huchette'' was known mostly for its taverns and ''rotisseries'' ("meat-roasters"). The inhabitants of the ''rue de la Huchette'' in the period leading up to the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

are portrayed in

Elliot Paul Elliot Harold Paul (February 10, 1891 – April 7, 1958) was an American journalist and writer. Biography Paul was born in Linden, a part of Malden, Massachusetts, the son of Harold Henry Paul and Lucy Greenleaf Doucette. He graduated from Malden ...

's book ''The Last Time I Saw Paris'', called "A Narrow Street" in the British edition (1942). The period after the

is covered in Paul's book ''Springtime in Paris'' (1950).

Origin of the name

From around 1284 the name of a house on the street belonging to the Notre-Dame chapter — ''À la Huchette d'Or'' — took the place of the former ''rue de Laas'' appellation. The obscure word "huchette" may derive from "hutchet", an old term for a bugle.

Buildings of note

Odd numbers

* 5 -

Le Caveau de la Huchette Le Caveau de la Huchette is a jazz club in the Latin Quarter of Paris. The building dates to the 16th century, but became a jazz club in 1949. The design has been compared to a cellar or labyrinth, and allegedly it was once used by Rosicrucians a ...

, a 16th-century building, formerly a hotel (where

lived in the 1920s and 1930s); since 1946, one of Paris's most famous jazz clubs. * 13 - Building whose ground floor was an office where, from 1684, ''apothicaires'' (pharmacists), could find or hire a nurse/medical help. * 17 - Building's corner with the rue Xavier Privas original engraving on the stone. * 21 - Building dating from 1650. *23 - Théâtre de la Huchette.Théâtre de la Huchette
Come to the theatre
accessed 6 January 2023

Even numbers

* 4 - Building dating from 1729; its former sign ''"À la Hure d'Or"'' ("of the Golden Head") is still visible on its façade. * 8 - Building dating from 1494. * 10 - Former "furnished apartment" house where

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

is said to have stayed between 1794 and 1795. * 14 - Site of a shop of a 15th-century needlemaker. Although the building dates from a later time, the "Y" signaling the shopowner's trade is still visible in a marble oval above the ground-floor façade. Also visible engraved into the stone at the building's corner with the Rue du Chat-qui-Pêche is the street's name and former arrondissement number. * 16 - Building dating from the 18th century.

Other attractions

The street is known for its collection of Greek restaurants. The maitre d's of these establishments often shatter cheap plates on the street in front of their doors to attract attention and entice tourists inside.

Closest transport

* Métro line 4, Saint-Michel * Métro line 10, Cluny - la Sorbonne * RER C, Saint-Michel - Notre-Dame

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rue De La Huchette, Paris Huchette Restaurant districts and streets in France