Thiers wall
Encyclopedia
The Thiers wall was the last of the defensive walls of Paris
. It was an enclosure constructed between 1841 and 1844 under a law enacted by the government of the French prime minister, Adolphe Thiers
. It covered 7802 hectares (19,279.1 acre), along the 'boulevards des Maréchaux' (Boulevards of the Marshals) of today. A sloping area outside the wall, called a glacis
, extended outward from the Thiers wall to the location of today's Boulevard Périphérique. The wall was demolished in stages between 1919 and 1929.
in 1814. So he conceived the project of building around the city an enclosure of walls that would make the city impregnable.
A first draft was presented to the Chamber of Deputies
in early 1833 by Marshal Soult, Council President and Minister of War. It immediately sparked a fierce resistance from the left, whose speakers suspected—or pretended to suspect—that the government had ulterior political motives: it was claimed that the fortifications were in fact designed not to defend France, but to threaten the Parisians in case they come to revolt against the monarchy.
The 33 kilometres (20.5 mi) long enclosure, colloquially referred to as "the fortress", consisted of 94 bastion
s, 17 gates
(French: "portes", major road crossings), 23 minor road crossings (French: "barrières"), eight railway crossing points, five crossing points of rivers or canals and eight postern
s. The only existing remains are the Poterne des Peupliers ("postern of the poplars") between the Porte de Gentilly and Porte d'Italie near where the Bievre entered Paris, bastion number 1 in the middle of the Porte de Bercy interchange, bastion number 45 at the Porte de Clichy, a wall at the Porte de la Villette, part of the Porte d'Arcueil and various smaller remains.
The works were serviced and supplied by the Rue Militaire (military road), supported by a railway line, the Chemin de fer de Petite Ceinture
(French for "little belt railway").
The shape of the former strongholds are marked in several places in the topology of roads into this area.
The "zone" was not itself the site formerly occupied by the wall, but a strip of land where no building was permitted in front of the wall, a ditch and a slope which measured 250 meters across. It was designated as an area where building was not permitted and it was occupied by slums at the end of 19th century, with the abandonment of its military function. The French slang "zonard" ("lad" in a pejorative sense) derives from the "zone".
The Boulevard Périphérique (Paris ring road) is built on the route of the Thiers wall and continues to separate Paris and its suburbs.
City walls of Paris
Over time, several city walls of Paris were built :* a gauloise enclosure * a Gallo-Roman wall* two medieval walls including the main one : the wall of Philippe Auguste* the wall of Charles V, extending on the right bank...
. It was an enclosure constructed between 1841 and 1844 under a law enacted by the government of the French prime minister, Adolphe Thiers
Adolphe Thiers
Marie Joseph Louis Adolphe Thiers was a French politician and historian. was a prime minister under King Louis-Philippe of France. Following the overthrow of the Second Empire he again came to prominence as the French leader who suppressed the revolutionary Paris Commune of 1871...
. It covered 7802 hectares (19,279.1 acre), along the 'boulevards des Maréchaux' (Boulevards of the Marshals) of today. A sloping area outside the wall, called a glacis
Glacis
A glacis in military engineering is an artificial slope of earth used in late European fortresses so constructed as to keep any potential assailant under the fire of the defenders until the last possible moment...
, extended outward from the Thiers wall to the location of today's Boulevard Périphérique. The wall was demolished in stages between 1919 and 1929.
History
Louis-Philippe, proclaimed king of the French in 1830, was convinced that the key to defence of France was to prevent Paris from falling too easily into the hands of foreign armies as happened during the Battle of ParisBattle of Paris (1814)
The Battle of Paris was fought during the Napoleonic Wars in 1814. The French defeat led directly to the abdication of Napoleon I.-Background:...
in 1814. So he conceived the project of building around the city an enclosure of walls that would make the city impregnable.
A first draft was presented to the Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of France
Chamber of Deputies was the name given to several parliamentary bodies in France in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries:* 1814–1848 during the Bourbon Restoration and the July Monarchy, the Chamber of Deputies was the Lower chamber of the French Parliament, elected by census suffrage.*...
in early 1833 by Marshal Soult, Council President and Minister of War. It immediately sparked a fierce resistance from the left, whose speakers suspected—or pretended to suspect—that the government had ulterior political motives: it was claimed that the fortifications were in fact designed not to defend France, but to threaten the Parisians in case they come to revolt against the monarchy.
The 33 kilometres (20.5 mi) long enclosure, colloquially referred to as "the fortress", consisted of 94 bastion
Bastion
A bastion, or a bulwark, is a structure projecting outward from the main enclosure of a fortification, situated in both corners of a straight wall , facilitating active defence against assaulting troops...
s, 17 gates
City gates of Paris
thumb|right|350px|Principal Parisian city gatesWhile Paris is encircled by the boulevard périphérique , the city gates of Paris are the access points to the city for pedestrians and other road users...
(French: "portes", major road crossings), 23 minor road crossings (French: "barrières"), eight railway crossing points, five crossing points of rivers or canals and eight postern
Postern
A postern is a secondary door or gate, particularly in a fortification such as a city wall or castle curtain wall. Posterns were often located in a concealed location, allowing the occupants to come and go inconspicuously. In the event of a siege, a postern could act as a sally port, allowing...
s. The only existing remains are the Poterne des Peupliers ("postern of the poplars") between the Porte de Gentilly and Porte d'Italie near where the Bievre entered Paris, bastion number 1 in the middle of the Porte de Bercy interchange, bastion number 45 at the Porte de Clichy, a wall at the Porte de la Villette, part of the Porte d'Arcueil and various smaller remains.
The works were serviced and supplied by the Rue Militaire (military road), supported by a railway line, the Chemin de fer de Petite Ceinture
Chemin de fer de Petite Ceinture
The Chemin de fer de Petite Ceinture was a Parisian railway that, from 1852, was a circular connection between Paris' main railroad stations within the fortified walls of the city...
(French for "little belt railway").
The decommissioning of the enclosure
Having become useless due to progress in military technology, the fortifications were destroyed from 1919. Their locations first became vacant lots, often referred to as the "zone". It was progressively rehabilitated from 1930 by the construction of community housing for the poor and sports facilities.The shape of the former strongholds are marked in several places in the topology of roads into this area.
The "zone" was not itself the site formerly occupied by the wall, but a strip of land where no building was permitted in front of the wall, a ditch and a slope which measured 250 meters across. It was designated as an area where building was not permitted and it was occupied by slums at the end of 19th century, with the abandonment of its military function. The French slang "zonard" ("lad" in a pejorative sense) derives from the "zone".
The Boulevard Périphérique (Paris ring road) is built on the route of the Thiers wall and continues to separate Paris and its suburbs.