The ''rue de'' Siam (or ''Siam'' Street, br, Straed Siam) is the main arterial street of

Brest Brest may refer to: Places *Brest, Belarus **Brest Region **Brest Airport **Brest Fortress * Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria * Břest, Czech Republic *Brest, France ** Arrondissement of Brest **Brest Bretagne Airport ** Château de Brest *Br ...

, a port city in

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. Its name comes from the arrival of three ambassadors led by

Kosa Pan Kosa Pan ( th, ปาน; 1633 – 15 November 1699) was a Siamese diplomat and minister who led the second Siamese embassy to France sent by King Narai in 1686.Rajanubhab, D., 2001, ''Our Wars With the Burmese,'' Bangkok: White Lotus Co. Ltd., ...

, sent by the King of Siam on the 29 June 1686 to meet

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Ver ...

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...

. They went with six mandarins, three translators, two secretaries and a retinue of servants, loaded with presents. They traveled on the boats ''l'Oiseau'' and ''La Maligne''. They crossed Saint-Pierre Street to go to the hostel of the same name. The inhabitants were so amazed that they renamed the street. The street was quite narrow before

World War II 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 opposing ...

. The ''rue de Siam'' is quoted by

Jacques Prévert Jacques Prévert (; 4 February 1900 – 11 April 1977) was a French poet and screenwriter. His poems became and remain popular in the French-speaking world, particularly in schools. His best-regarded films formed part of the poetic realist moveme ...

in his poem ''Barbara''. Soi Charoen Krung 36 Alley, the location of

French Embassy This is a list of diplomatic missions of France, excluding honorary consulates. France's permanent representation abroad began in the reign of Francis I, when in 1522 he sent a delegation to the Swiss. Despite its reduced presence following dec ...

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

, was renamed in 2013 to "Rue de Brest" to commemorate

diplomatic relations Diplomacy comprises spoken or written communication by representatives of states (such as leaders and diplomats) intended to influence events in the international system.Ronald Peter Barston, ''Modern diplomacy'', Pearson Education, 2006, p. 1 ...

, reciprocating Rue de Siam.

Location

From the ''place de la Liberté'', in the centre of Brest, the ''rue de Siam'' runs southwest to the Recouvrance Bridge, spanning the river

Penfeld The Penfeld,The ''d'' was added in the 17th century by a naval engineer influenced by the German word ''feld'' - the name is masculine in the Breton language. ( Breton: ''Penfell'') is a French coastal river. The town of Brest, in Finistère, has ...

. Recouvrance is a working-class district, from old Brest, in contrast to the ''rue de Siam'' where there were all the chic stores and

café A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non ...

s of Brest, in the years 1950-60. There used to be ''l’Épée'' Café on the right and ''Les Antilles'' Restaurant on the left. Midshipmen and officers from all nationalities used to have an aperitif at ''l’Épée'' and then, cross the ''rue de Siam'' to have supper at ''Les Antilles''.

Gallery

File:Rue de Siam avant guerre.jpg, The ''rue de Siam'' before the Second World War File:Place liberté2 800x600.JPG, Monumental perspective from the ''place de la Liberté'' opening to the ''rue de Siam'', with the '' rade de Brest'' (Brest roadstead) in the background, and on the right, the steeple of Saint-Louis church dominating the rebuilt centre of Brest. File:Brest tram Château II.JPG, The street nowadays File:Rue de Brest (Bangkok) ถนนแบรสต์ (เจริญกรุง 36 - Chaoren Krung 36 Alley) 03.jpg, Bangkok's Rue de Brest

References

External links

''Rue de Siam'' in 1900

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rue De Siam Geography of Brest, France History of Brest, France Brest, France Streets in Brest, France

Location

Gallery

See also

References

External links