Secrets of the Courtesans' Quarter – A Walking Tour of the 17th Arrondissement of Paris

The 17th district of Paris It is not considered a particularly touristy district, which is a shame becauseAdvanced Francophiles And the curious can find quite a few facts and stories there. In my opinion, the most interesting part of this district is a neighborhood called Plaine Monceau, which is located north ofMonceau Park (My favorite park in Paris). This neighborhood is home to two groups of people who have made the history of Paris so colorful and interesting. On the one hand, there are artists, and on the other, there are mistresses. And not just any mistresses, but those of the highest order, namely courtesans. Impressive women who used not only their bedroom skills but also their ability to conduct conversation and literary salons to reach the top of 19th-century French society.

UnlikeItineraries in Paris This trip doesn't cover a large geographical area, but as you'll see, it contains quite a few stories and beauty, so let's get started.

The Rotunda of Parc Monceau

The starting point of the trip will be the Monceau metro exit (line 2) and from there we will go to the rotunda located a few meters away at the northern entrance of Parc Monceau. This beautiful rotunda is a souvenir from the 18th century, when King Louis XVI decided to surround Paris with a wall in order to make it easier for his people to collect customs duties. This wall had about 16 gates through which one could pass and next to each gate was a circular building (rotunda) where customs officials sat who inspected the goods entering the city and collected the tax. These rotundas were designed by the famous architect Claude-Nicolas Ledoux (20-1736) and today only three of them can be found in Paris (Parc Monceau, Place Stalingrad in19th District and Nation Square in12th District).

On the top floor of the rotunda lived none other than Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orléans (1743-1793). From here, the Duke could overlook the Parc Monceau, which belonged to him and was much larger than it is today. It was also here that the Duke could bring his many mistresses (one of whom was his father's second wife). Was it the Duke who foresaw that the neighborhood would become the home of the mistresses of the fat and slim of French society a century later? Let's go and find out!

Fortuny Street

We will leave the gate of Parc Monceau and go to Pruny Street where quite a few rich people have housed their unknown lovers. The more famous lovers are found on Fortuny Street, to which we turn right from Pruny Street. There we will discover a number of houses where several people who have entered history lived in one way or another.

Number 2 – Edmond Rostan's house

This is the house where the French poet and playwright Edmond Rostand lived and where he wrote his famous play Cyrano de Bergerac. And speaking of Cyrano de Bergerac, you simply must see the wonderful film “Edmond de Bergerac” which tells the story of how the successful play was born. Here is its “coming soon” video:

House number 13 – Marcel Pagnol's house

In this house, with its beautiful ceramic facade, lived Marcel Pagnol (1895-1974). Marcel came to Paris during the 20s and worked there as an English teacher. However, it was here that he decided to change his career and become a writer, playwright and filmmaker. Of all the films based on his books and plays, the most familiar to Israeli audiences are Jean de Floret and the sequel “Manon of the Springs” (Manon de surces) starring Daniel Auteuil, Gérard Depardieu andJean-Paul Belmondo.

Stanzas 27 and 29: The two rival courtesans

Here lived two rival courtesans who could not stand each other. At number 27 lived Carolina Otero (1868-1965), who was called La Belle Otero. At the height of her success as a dancer at the Polytechnic, she became the mistress of several world leaders, including Wilhelm II, Emperor of Germany, and Edward VII, King of England. At number 2 lived Geneviève Lantelme (7-29), who in her short life managed to become a famous actress and the mistress of the newspaper magnate Charles Edwards. The romantic triangle between him and his wife and Geneviève Lantelme was the inspiration for the romantic triangle in Proust's "In Search of Lost Time" series of books (Proust's triangle included Robert de Saint-Loup, Gilbert Swann, and Rachel).

Additional, particularly spicy and exciting information about Genevieve Lantelme, with whom Edwards, who was then married to the cultural icon Missia, fell obsessively in love and caused her death, can be read in Dr. Orna Lieberman's article: Missia, Queen of Paris: Madame Edwards divorces.

Somewhat ironically, the two courtesans who could not stand each other chose the same architect (Adolf Wei) to build their houses, and he decided, whether by mistake or as a cruel joke, to build them almost identical facades.

The Henner Museum (Musée Jean-Jacques Henner)

Continue on Rue Fortuny until you reach the intersection with Avenue de Villiers where you will find a museum dedicated to the painter Jean-Jacques Henner who died in 1905. In fact, Henner himself never lived there and his children only bought the house in 1920 to house their father's collection. And it was a good choice because Henner's works fit well into this beautiful house. So if you visit the museum you will get two things: you will also enjoy the painter's works and the Napoleon III style interior design that is there.

Link to the museum website

Cardinet Street – “Nana’s” house and Debussy’s house

After you leave the Candle Museum, go to nearby Cardinet Street and close your eyes and try to imagine Nana's house. Of course, the house never stood here because Nana is a fictional character invented by Emile Zola And she is the one who stands at the center of the novel of the same name, written by him in 1880. The heroine of the novel, Nana, is a top prostitute who manages to destroy all her lovers one by one until she dies, apparently from a venereal disease, just as the Prussian War breaks out. FranceThe exact address of her home appears in the novel and it is described as a “Renaissance palace with all the modern conveniences.” Who was the inspiration for this novel and where was her home? We will find out in a moment…

In the meantime, the music lovers among you are invited to go to number 58, where the famous musician Claude Debussy lived and where he also wrote the opera Place et Mélisande, which caused quite a scandal when it was first performed in 1902.

Place General Cartoux

This charming square is one of my favorites in Paris (despite being quite unknown to the general public) and today you will understand why I love it so much. So let’s see what can be found in the square itself and in the immediate surroundings.

The sculptures of Alexandre Dumas the father and the son

On both sides of the square you can find statues of A.Alexander Duma The father and the son. The truth is that there was also a statue in memory of Dumas the grandfather who was a general in Napoleon's army but it was melted down by the Germans during World War II. Not surprisingly, the statue of Dumas the elder is the more impressive of the two statues and in the back you can see the statue of D'Artagnan from The Three Musketeers. There is no doubt that this is not only a beautiful statue but also a place of pilgrimage for lovers of this wonderful writer.

Statue of actress Sarah Bernhardt

Opposite the garden where the statues of Alexandre Dumas the Elder and the Son are located is another small mini-garden and in it is the statue of the famous actress Sarah Bernhardt, who lived a few blocks from this place. Sarah Bernhardt is considered the greatest actress of the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century and she collaborated with the greatest playwrights of her time, including Edmond Rostand, whose house we visited earlier.

Bank of France Economic Museum

There is no doubt that the most attractive house is the neo-Renaissance palace located in the eastern part of the square (near the statue of Sarah Bernard). This magnificent house belonged to Baron Gaillard, who was the banker of the Count of Chambord and one of the senior bankers at the Bank of France. The house was built, along with quite a few neo-Renaissance houses, by the architect Jules Fevrier between 1878-1882, and unlike many houses in the area, it managed to survive. The reason for this is that the Bank of France decided to honor the memory of the Baron, who was, as mentioned, one of its senior managers, and bought it from the Baron family, thus saving it from demolition.

In recent decades, the building was closed following a terrorist attack, and in recent years it was decided to open it to the general public. A proposal was made to turn the building into a museum dedicated to Alexandre Dumas, but the Bank of France objected and instead established the Museum of Economics here, which is rather heavenly in my opinion. However, it is worth entering the building anyway, if only to try to see the fireplace, which is a replica of the large fireplace from the Doge's Palace in Venice.

Museum website

The house of Valtesse de la Bigne

Go to rue Malshrbes 98 and look at the building there. This is where the building built in 1878 in honor of Valtesse de la Bigne (1848-1910), one of the greatest courtesans of the 19th century, once stood. She began her career as an actress in the theaters of Paris and had a series of lovers, each richer than the last. Her literary salon included some of the greatest artists and creators, including Alexandre Dumas, junr., who asked to enter her bedroom and was told: “I’m sorry, my dear, but it’s too expensive for you.”

The only one of the bohemians who managed to enter her bedroom without paying was Emile Zola, who used Waltz's image as the model for the character of Nana, and therefore the description of her house on Rue Cardinet is based on the description of Waltz's house. Unfortunately, the original house was destroyed and a less beautiful building was built in its place. However, if you want to see Waltz de la Beine's magnificent bed, you can do so at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in the Louvre.

Museum of Decorative Arts website

Rue de Lévis – It just sounds Jewish

Retrace your steps a little and turn right on Rue Georges Berger and then Rue Legendre. From there you will reach Rue de Lévis, which despite its name has nothing to do with Jews (it is named after a noble family of the same name). The street itself is not particularly interesting architecturally and the reason I brought you there is culinary.

This is one of the most important culinary streets in Paris, alongside Montreuil Street And you will find quite a few restaurants and food shops here. If you would like to know more about this street, you are welcome to enter the article RUE DE LÉVIS – A journey down the most delicious street in Paris you never knew existed.

So if the tour has made you hungry, there's no better place to end it than here.

Want to live in the 17th arrondissement?

As you have seen in this itinerary, there is quite a bit of authentic Parisian charm in the 17th arrondissement. Since the area is less touristy than central Paris, you can find apartments and hotels here at lower prices compared to more touristy areas. So if you are looking to live there during your vacation in Paris, you can find recommended places in these two links:

• Recommended hotels in the 17st district
• Recommended apartments in the 17st district