General Information

The Boulevard du Temple is a thoroughfare in Paris that separates the 3rd arrondissement from the 11th. It runs from the Place de la République to the Place Pasdeloup, and its name refers to the nearby Knights Templars’ Temple where they established their Paris priory.

History: Highlights

The Boulevard du Temple follows the path of the city wall constructed by Charles V (the so-called Enceinte, erected between 1356 and 1383) and demolished under Louis XIV. The boulevard, lined with trees, was built between 1656 and 1705.

History: Explained

From the time of Louis XVI (1774–1792) until the July Monarchy in 1830, the Boulevard du Temple was home to a popular fashion: it became a place for walking and recreation. Cafés and theatres previously located at the Saint-Laurent and Saint-Germain fairs moved here. After a time, it was nicknamed the Boulevard du Crime after the crime melodramas that were so popular in its many theatres.

On this boulevard, on 28 July 1835, Giuseppe Fieschi made an attempt on the life of the king, Louis-Philippe. The attempt failed, but it resulted in 18 dead and 23 injured.

Gustave Flaubert lived at 42 boulevard du Temple from 1856 to 1869.

The transformations of Paris by Baron Haussmann radically modified this part of Le Marais; today, only the Théâtre Déjazet remains of the late 18th-century theatres; half of them were demolished for the enlargement of the Place de la République.

Boulevard du Temple by Daguerre

A photograph of this street, taken in 1838 by Louis Daguerre, is one of the earliest photographs known, and it is the oldest extant photograph showing a person. As of 28 October 2010, a rendering artist pointed out the possibility of multiple individuals being visible within a digitally enhanced and colourised version of this photograph.