Charles Michels () is a

station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

on Line 10 of the

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

. It is located in the

15th arrondissement The 15th arrondissement of Paris () is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, it is referred to as ('the fifteenth'). The 15th arrondissement, called , is situated on the left bank of the River Seine. ...

History

The station opened as ''Beaugrenelle'' on 13 July 1913 as part of the initial section of line 8 as its temporary southern terminus, and with Opéra as its northern terminus. The line was then extended to Porte d'Auteuil on 30 September that same year, becoming its new southern terminus. It was then named after Place Beaugrenelle (now known as Place Charles Michels). Beaugrenelle ("beautiful Grenelle") was a name given by property developers in the

Grenelle Grenelle () is a neighbourhood in southwestern Paris, France. It is a part of the 15th arrondissement of the city. There is currently a Boulevard de Grenelle which runs along the North delimitation of the ''quartier'', and a Rue de Grenelle, ...

district during its urbanisation. On 27 July 1937, the section of line 8 between

La Motte-Picquet–Grenelle LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music *La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smit ...

and Porte d'Auteuil, including ''Beaugrenelle'', was transferred to line 10 during the reconfiguration of lines 8, 10, and the old line 14. On 29 July 1937, line 10 was extended from Duroc to

. On 14 July 1945, both the station as well as the nearby Place Beaugrenelle were renamed ''Charles Michels'' and Place Charles Michels respectively, in honour of

Charles Michels :''see also Charles Michels (Paris Métro)'' Charles Michels (6 March 1903, in Paris – 22 October 1941, in Châteaubriant) was a trade unionist and communist activist. He was député of the 15th arrondissement in Paris. During the Second Wo ...

(1903–1941), a trade unionist, communist militant, and

deputy Deputy or depute may refer to: * Steward (office) * Khalifa, an Arabic title that can signify "deputy" * Deputy (legislator), a legislator in many countries and regions, including: ** A member of a Chamber of Deputies, for example in Italy, Spain, ...

of the

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. He was held hostage and shot during the Occupation by the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

in retaliation for the assassination of

Karl Hotz Karl Hotz (29 April 1877, Wertheim am Main, Germany – 20 October 1941, Nantes, France) was a Lt. Colonel in the German military during World War II. With the occupation of France by Nazi Germany in June 1940, Hotz became the military governor ...

, amongst 44 other people. Hence, the station, along with 7 other stations, were renamed after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

to honour the resistance fighters who had died for France. The other stations were: Colonel Fabien, Corentin Cariou, Corentin Celton,

Guy Môquet Guy Prosper Eustache Môquet (, 26 April 1924 – 22 October 1941) was a young French Communist activist. During the German occupation of France in World War II, he was taken hostage by the Nazis and executed by firing squad in Châteaubriant in ...

Jacques Bonsergent Jacques Bonsergent was a French people, French engineer who was executed by firing squad on 23 December 1940, age 28. Bonsergent's execution has been described as the first execution of a French civilian in German military administration in occup ...

Marx Dormoy René Marx Dormoy (, 1 August 1888 – 26 July 1941) was a French socialist politician, noted for his opposition to the far right. Under his leadership as Minister of the Interior in the government of Léon Blum, the French police infiltrated '' ...

, and Trinité - d'Estienne d'Orves. As part of the "Renouveau du métro" programme by the

RATP The RATP Group () is a French state-owned enterprise (EPIC) that operates public transport systems primarily in Paris, France. Headquartered in Paris, it originally operated under the name (). Its logo represents the Seine's meandering path th ...

, the station's platforms were renovated and modernised in 2009. In 2019, the station was used by 4,601,730 passengers, making it the 93rd busiest of the Métro network out of 302 stations. In 2020, the station was used by 2,198,392 passengers amidst the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, making it the 194th busiest of the Métro network out of 108 stations. In 2021, the station was used by 3,079,569 passengers, making it the 102nd busiest of the Métro network out of 305 stations.

Passenger services

Access

The station has 2 accesses: * Access 1: Place Charles-Michels * Access 2: rue des Entrepreneurs

Station layout

Platforms

The station has a standard configuration with 2 tracks surrounded by 2 side platforms.

Other connections

The station is also served by lines 42, 70, and 88 of the RATP bus network, and at night, by lines N12 and N61 bus of the

Noctilien Noctilien is the night bus service in Paris and its agglomeration. It is managed by the Île-de-France Mobilités (formerly the STIF), the Île-de-France regional public transit authority, and operated by RATP (with 32 lines) and Transilien S ...

network.

Nearby

*A replica of the

Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; ) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. The copper-clad statue, a gift to the United States from the people of French Thir ...

on the

Île aux Cygnes Île aux Cygnes (; ) is a small artificial island on the river Seine in Paris, France, in the 15th arrondissement. It was created in 1827 to protect the bridge named the Pont de Grenelle. It should not be confused with an earlier Île des Cyg ...

. *

Beaugrenelle shopping mall Beaugrenelle is a shopping mall located in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, close to the Seine. It is one of the biggest shopping malls in Paris' inner city. A mix between a department store and a shopping mall, Beaugrenelle is home to 120 shop ...

* Front de Seine *square Pau-Casals

Gallery

File:Entrée Station Métro Charles Michels Place Charles Michels - Paris XV (FR75) - 2020-12-17 - 3.jpg, Access 1 File:Accès Station Métro Charles Michels Rue Entrepreneurs - Paris XV (FR75) - 2022-01-23 - 3.jpg, Access 2

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Charles Michels (Paris Metro) Paris Métro stations in the 15th arrondissement of Paris Railway stations in France opened in 1913 Paris Métro line 10