At a length of 4.36 kilometers, Rue de Vaugirard is officially the longest street in Paris. It starts in the 6th district, on Boulevard Saint-Michel, and stretches straight east to end at Porte de Versailles. A true backbone of the capital, it carries with it a significant part of Paris's history. Let's take a look back at this iconic axis of the City of Light.
An artery dating back to Roman times
To learn more about the history of Rue de Vaugirard, we have to travel back in time to the year -27. At that time, a road already existed following the future path of Rue de Vaugirard, connecting Lutetia (that's Paris!) to the town of Autricum (now known as Chartres). We had to wait until 1550 for it to become urbanized, starting to resemble more or less what it is today.is today.
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This street, which has become legendary for its size over the years, is named after the commune of Vaugirard, now part of the capital. It is a transformation of Val Gérard, in tribute to Gérard de Moret, abbot of Saint-Germain. The hamlet s&rwas successively called " Valgérard ", " Vaulgérard ", and finally earned its definitive name of " Vaugirard ".
An Important Clarification
While this street, today lined by the Senate, the university Panthéon-Assas, the high school Saint-Louis, the Pasteur Institute, and Necker Hospital, is indeed the longest in the capital, it is not the longest road in Paris. In fact, it is located behind the périphérique boulevard with its 35.5 km, or, a bit more glamourously, the Georges Pompidou road (13,000 m) that runs along the banks of the 1st, 4th, 8th, 12th, and 16th arrondissements, as well as the Daumesnil Avenue, which starts in the 12th and ends its journey at Saint-Mandé (6.27 km). A detail that is not without importance, which slightly breaks the myth surrounding Vaugirard street,Sure! It will definitely let you show off a bit during dinner by correcting your friends. No need to thank us.
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