Boulevard Voltaire is a well-known boulevard in the

11th arrondissement of Paris The 11th arrondissement of Paris (''XIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as ''onzième''. The arrondissement, called Popincourt, is situated on ...

. It was created by Baron

Georges-Eugène Haussmann Georges-Eugène Haussmann, commonly known as Baron Haussmann (; 27 March 180911 January 1891), was a French official who served as prefect of Seine (1853–1870), chosen by Emperor Napoleon III to carry out a massive urban renewal programme of n ...

during the reign of French emperor

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A neph ...

. Originally named Boulevard du Prince-Eugène, it was renamed Boulevard Voltaire on 25 October 1870 in honour of the French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his '' nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his criticism of Christianity—e ...

. The boulevard is a great axis joining two historical squares associated with the French revolution, the Place de la République and

Place de la Nation The Place de la Nation (formerly Place du Trône, subsequently Place du Trône-Renversé during the Revolution) is a circle on the eastern side of Paris, between Place de la Bastille and the Bois de Vincennes, on the border of the 11th and 12t ...

and the boulevard is a main hub for left wing demonstrations with the Republic and Nation squares as the focal points. The boulevard is lined with

platanus ''Platanus'' is a genus consisting of a small number of tree species native to the Northern Hemisphere. They are the sole living members of the family Platanaceae. All mature members of ''Platanus'' are tall, reaching in height. All excep ...

trees. Important establishments on the boulevard include the municipality of the 11th arrondissement of Paris, the Church of Saint-Ambroise and Place Léon-Blum (formerly called Place Voltaire). It includes a bust of the French politician and three-time prime minister of France in whose name the square is named. The boulevard also has the

Bataclan Theatre The Bataclan () is a theatre located at 50 Boulevard Voltaire in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, France. Designed in 1864 by the architect Charles Duval, its name refers to ''Ba-ta-clan'', an operetta by Jacques Offenbach. Since the early ...

, built in 1864 by the architect Charles Duval. The boulevard, particularly between its cross-sections with boulevard Richard-Lenoir and Place Léon-Blum is host to great textile firms. The unpaired side of the boulevard also has a great number of entertainment and video stores. During the

November 2015 Paris attacks The November 2015 Paris attacks () were a series of coordinated Islamist terrorist attacks that took place on Friday, 13 November 2015 in Paris, France, and the city's northern suburb, Saint-Denis. Beginning at 9:15p.m., three suicide bombers ...

, a suicide bomber blew himself up on the Boulevard Voltaire near the

Bataclan Bataclan may refer to: *''Ba-ta-clan'', a 1855 operetta by Jacques Offenbach *Bataclan (theatre), a theatre in Paris named after the operetta **Bataclan theatre massacre, November 2015 Paris attacks Music *''Bataclan 1989'', by Maxime Le Forestie ...

Crossing streets

The streets crossing the boulevard are: (if on one side only, direction mentioned) *Rue Amelot (right) *Rue Rampon (left) *Rue Jean-Pierre-Timbaud - Rue de Malte *Rue de Crussol * Rue Oberkampf *Boulevard Richard-Lenoir *Rue Saint-Sébastien *Rue Saint-Ambroise (left) *Rue Lacharrière (left) *Rue Popincourt (right) *Rue du Chemin-Vert *Rue Sedaine *Place Léon-Blum (formerly Place Voltaire) **Avenue Parmentier (left) **Rue de la Roquette **Avenue Ledru-Rollin (right) *Rue Richard-Lenoir (right) *Rue Mercœur (left) *Rue de Belfort (left); Rue François-de-Neufchateau (right) *Rue Gobert (right) *Allée du Philosophe (left) *Cité de Phalsbourg (left) *Rue de Charonne (in 2007, the intersection between Boulevard Voltaire and Rue de Charonne was renamed

Place du 8 Février 1962 The Place du 8 Février 1962 is a public square located in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, specifically in the Charonne district, at the intersection of the Rue de Charonne and the Boulevard Voltaire. The name of the square commemorates the ...

) *Rue Chanzy (right) *Rue Léon-Frot (left) *Rue Alexandre-Dumas (left) *Rue des Boulets (right) *Rue Voltaire (left) *Rue Guénot (left) *Rue de Montreuil *Rue des Immeubles-Industriels (right)

References

{{coord, 48.8585, N, 2.3789, E, source:wikidata, display=title 11th arrondissement of Paris

November 2015 Paris attacks