THE MISERABLE 13TH BECAME ONE OF FRANCE'S
MAIN INDUSTRIAL SITES
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A Rich Industrial Past: the subject of a special issue of the 13th's historical journal
It is near the river and the Austerlitz railway station that, like other stations in Paris in contrast to those of London and New York, was built on the outskirts to keep laborers away from the center.
Adapted from a map by the RATP
The gare d'Orsay, the only station in the center of town, let visitors access the International Exhibition of 1900. A shuttle let them avoid the lugubrious outskirts.
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Among the multitude of industries was the country's largest chocolat plant, "Chocolats Lombart," whose owner pioneered pictures in advertising to attract children:
The 13th had been a Communard stronghold and its memory was powerful...
Reading "Le Père Duchesne" in 1871 by André Devambez, 1913 |
"My childhood was in the 13th district behind the Panhard factory [...] that is, where the Paris Commune was part of the myths, the legends and the reality of my earliest memory.[...] The good one, which remains, it is said, when one has forgotten all the rest."
preface to Eléments for a History of the Commune in the 13th District by Gérard Comte (in French)
And its 800 workers looked back to it as they how to fight differently through unions and strikes:
The Beginning of the CGT Union, 1895 /zoom (please scroll down)
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Sainte-Anne was a short walk from Monsieur Lombart's plant, and he financed its facade: Residents dubbed it "the chocolate facade," ironically referring to trying to distract them from their goals. |
Poster at an exhibit organized by the historical magazine shown above.
75 rue the Choisy
End of this section.
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