Porte d'Orléans (Général Leclerc) () is a station of line 4 of the

Paris Métro The Paris Métro (french: Métro de Paris ; short for Métropolitain ) is a rapid transit system in the Paris metropolitan area, France. A symbol of the city, it is known for its density within the capital's territorial limits, uniform architec ...

and a stop on tramway line 3a. It is situated in the 14th Arrondissement, in the ''quartier'' of

Petit-Montrouge The quartier du Petit-Montrouge is number 55 of the 80 ''quartiers administratifs'' (administrative districts) in Paris. It lies in the 14th Arrondissement, in the south of the capital. It owes its name to the adjacent commune of Montrouge, of whi ...

. The station is the former southern terminus of line 4. A terminal loop was provided at the station for trains to turn around to return north towards Porte de Clignancourt. Passengers used to disembark at the arrival platform and then the train proceeded empty via the loop to the departure platform. The extension to Mairie de Montrouge modified the layout of the station, the northbound platform was extended toward the track coming from the former terminal loop to add a new entrance.

History

The station was opened on 30 October 1909 as part of the second section of line 4 opened between ''Porte d'Orléans'' and Raspail before it was connected under the Seine on 9 January 1910. In 2006, Paris Tramway Line 3 (now 3a) opened, with a stop at ''Porte d'Orléans''. The station lies just on the Parisian side of the border with

Montrouge Montrouge () is a commune in the southern Parisian suburbs, located from the centre of Paris. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe. After a long period of decline, the population has increased again in recent years. ...

, the neighbouring commune. In 2013, line 4 was extended south into Montrouge, with a future extension toward Bagneux planned. This should reduce bus traffic around the Porte d'Orléans.

Name

The station is named after the ''Porte d'Orléans'', a gate in the nineteenth century

Thiers wall The Thiers wall (''Enceinte de Thiers'') was the last of the defensive walls of Paris. It was an enclosure constructed between 1841 and 1846 and was proposed by the French prime minister Adolphe Thiers but was actually implemented by his succe ...

of Paris, which led to the town of

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and route nationale A ''route nationale'', or simply ''nationale'', is a class of trunk road in France. They are important roads of national significance which cross broad portions of the French territory, in contrast to departmental or communal roads which serve m ...

20, or N20. Its subtitle is for the

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 ...

general

Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque Philippe François Marie Leclerc de Hauteclocque (22 November 1902 – 28 November 1947) was a Free-French general during the Second World War. He became Marshal of France posthumously in 1952, and is known in France simply as le maréchal ...

, known by his ''nom de guerre'' of Général Leclerc. On 25 August 1944, Leclerc entered Paris via the Porte d'Orléans with tanks of the 2nd Armored division, on his way to liberate Paris from the

German occupation German-occupied Europe refers to the sovereign countries of Europe which were wholly or partly occupied and civil-occupied (including puppet governments) by the military forces and the government of Nazi Germany at various times between 1939 an ...

. A memorial to Leclerc is near the station, between Rue de la Légion Étrangère and Avenue de la Porte-d'Orléans. On the west side of Rue de la Légion Étrangère is Square du Serment-de-Koufra, a park commemorating a pledge made by Leclerc on 2 March 1941, the day after taking the Italian fort at

Kufra Kufra () is a basinBertarelli (1929), p. 514. and oasis group in the Kufra District of southeastern Cyrenaica in Libya. At the end of nineteenth century Kufra became the centre and holy place of the Senussi order. It also played a minor role in ...

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...

: he swore that his weapons would not be laid down until the French flag flew over the cathedrals of Metz and of Strasbourg.

Connections

* Tramway Line 3a * RATP buses 28, 38, 62, 68, 125, 126, 128, 187, 188, 194, 197, 295, 297, 299 * CEAT buses 10.07, 10.20, 10.21 * Daniel Meyer buses DM151, DM152 * Sqybus 475 * Night buses N14, N21, N66

Station layout

Gallery

File:Porte d'Orleans - Quais (2).JPG, Line 4 platforms at Porte d'Orléans File:Boucle Porte d'Orleans.jpg,

MP 59 The MP 59 (French : Métro sur Pneus d'appel d'offres de 1959) is a rubber tyred variant of electric multiple units used on the Paris Métro system, and is the oldest type still in regular passenger service. Manufactured by a consortium betwee ...

rolling stock on Line 4 at Porte d'Orléans

References

*Roland, Gérard (2003). ''Stations de métro. D’Abbesses à Wagram.'' Éditions Bonneton.

External links

Map of the Porte d'Orléans
* ttp://perso.orange.fr/jp2k/2db/divers_monument.htm Le Monument Porte d'Orléans (photos with text in French) {{DEFAULTSORT:Porte d'Orleans (Paris Metro) Paris Métro stations in the 14th arrondissement of Paris Railway stations in France opened in 1909 Paris Métro stations located underground