The rue de la Huchette is one of the oldest streets running along the

Rive Gauche The Rive Gauche (, ''Left Bank'') is the southern bank of the river Seine in Paris. Here the river flows roughly westward, cutting the city in two parts. When facing downstream, the southern bank is to the left, and the northern bank (or ''Rive D ...

in Paris, France. Running eastward just below the Seine river from the Place Saint-Michel, it is today an animated

Latin Quarter The Latin Quarter of Paris (french: Quartier latin, ) is an area in the 5th and the 6th arrondissements of Paris. It is situated on the left bank of the Seine, around the Sorbonne. Known for its student life, lively atmosphere, and bistro ...

artery with one of the highest concentrations of restaurants in the city,

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

specialties predominating. It is situated between

Boulevard Saint-Michel Boulevard Saint-Michel () is one of the two major streets in the Latin Quarter of Paris, the other being Boulevard Saint-Germain. It is a tree-lined boulevard which runs south from the Pont Saint-Michel on the Seine and Place Saint-Michel, cross ...

and Rue du Petit-Pont and faces the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris. This almost exclusively pedestrian street is very popular with

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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 opposi ...

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 The bugle is one of the simplest brass instruments, normally having no valves or other pitch-altering devices. All pitch control is done by varying the player's embouchure. History The bugle developed from early musical or communication ...

Buildings of note

Odd numbers

* 5 - Le Caveau de la Huchette, a 16th-century building, formerly a hotel (where

lived in the 1920s and 1930s); since 1946, one of Paris's most famous

jazz club A jazz club is a venue where the primary entertainment is the performance of live jazz music, although some jazz clubs primarily focus on the study and/or promotion of jazz-music. Jazz clubs are usually a type of nightclub or bar, which is licens ...

s. * 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 The Théâtre de la Huchette is a theatre in Paris. This small theatre in Paris' Left Bank, located at 23 rue de la Huchette in the 5th arrondissement, is known for playing Eugène Ionesco's absurdist double-bill of The Lesson and The Bald Sopr ...

.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 wh ...

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 Rue du Chat-qui-Pêche is considered the narrowest street in Paris. It is only wide for the whole of its length. It is in the 5th arrondissement, on the Rive Gauche of the Seine, and runs from Quai Saint-Michel to Rue de la Huchette, Hist ...

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 RER C is one of the five lines in the Réseau Express Régional (English: Regional Express Network), a hybrid commuter rail and rapid transit system serving Paris, France and its suburbs. The line crosses the region from north to south. The li ...

, Saint-Michel - Notre-Dame

References

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