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Psychogeography Portrait ... 12 ... Place des Abbesses, Paris, France  
  Place des Abbesses, Paris, France  
             
  Place des Abbesses is
everything one might
imagine for charming
and scenic Paris square.
It deserves special
attention from us
urban squares enthusiasts
and I'll try to
show my respect
  Place des Abbesses deserves special attention from us urban squares enthusiasts and I'll try to show my respect.

Best metro station entrance, sidewalk cafes, among them our favourite Petit Montmartre, hip eateries, bakeries, and the whole human parade to watch. Place to sit, drink coffee or vin rouge, read a good book, and pass the time of day in the most pleasant way.

Station's entrance is designed by Hector Guimard (1867–1942) and it is one of only three original Guimard entrances left in Paris. Station itself is also unique, being on the Montmartre hill it is very deep and a main attraction is spiral staircase decorated with graffiti.

Square is also hosting small carrousel full of happy kids.

     
             
  Place des Abbesses, Paris, France Place des Abbesses, Paris, France Place des Abbesses, Paris, France  
           
    Very unusual church of Saint-Jean-de-Montmartre is also located here. It is the first example of reinforced cement in church construction. Built from 1894 through 1904, it was designed by architect Anatole de Baudot, a student of Viollet-le-Duc, well known among so called "in-vain-builders" [for exhample Bogdan Bogdanovic].

Construction was attended by skepticism over the properties of the new material. A lawsuit delayed construction, resulting in a demolition order that was not resolved until 1902, when construction was resumed.

  Church was designed by architect Anatole de Baudot,
a student of Viollet-le-Duc
 
             
  Place des Abbesses, Paris, France Place des Abbesses, Paris, France Place des Abbesses, Paris, France  
             
  Architect owner bought
it decade ago and
injected new life in it
  Artists are everywhere this one almost exclusively performing for us. Even larger version of the "Wallace" fountain, mentioned in more detail on one of the other squares in paris [link] is present.

The square Sehan Rictus is quite large park connected to the Place des Abbesses that will offer you a green space to rest your eyes and to get away from shops and enjoy romantic Paris.

Here you will find the famous wall "I love you", that is a huge blackboard dotted with 311 handwriting of "I love you" in 280 languages!

Even well known Paris closhards [modern word for them is homeless] are finding pleasant spot for themself here.

     
             
  Place des Abbesses, Paris, France Place des Abbesses, Paris, France Place des Abbesses, Paris, France  
      Tip for visitors: Owner of the apartment we stayed nearby recommended us "Coquelicot" eatery just few steps from the square. It is always extremely busy but it is worth trying. Small jazz band usually plays really nice music in front of it.

Nothing is missing, is it understandable now why this square scored a perfect 60 points?

One more curiosity of this attractive urban space is this fountain [photo bellow left]. This is one of the several models created by Charles-Auguste Lebourg, financed in 1870 by philanthropist Richard Wallace. They are placed in few cities around the world in great numbers and over time become symbols of Paris. They are associated by foreigners with the image of Paris, because it was in this city that they were first established and found most in France.

  Coquelicot eatery just
few steps from this
square was highly recommended
 
             
 
 
             
  Sir Richard Wallace
is one of the most
eclectic and discreet
  Among these philanthropists , Sir Richard Wallace is one of the most eclectic and discreet.

Having inherited from his father a great fortune in August 1870 , he Richard Wallace decided in 1870 to make the Parisians benefit, which earned him great popularity. He can be considered a philanthropist, in the true sense of the word. He also founded a hospital, took care of the victims of the bombings and the distribution of food to the population.

He remained faithful to his adopted nation, France, where he now rested in the Père-Lachaise cemetery.

     
             
 
 
             
  Open this virtual panorama of the square in full screen   But why fountains?

Following the siege of Paris and the Commune, many aqueducts were destroyed, and the price of water, already high, was considerably increased. Many poor people find it impossible to find them for free. Thus the temptation of the "wine merchants" is great among the indigent, and it is a moral duty to help them and not to plunge into drunkenness.

Bellow is little les attractive but similar in lot of details Place du Marché Sainte Catherine, Paris.

   
   
  Open in full screen
Place du Sainte Catherine
         
  12 Place aux Abbesses, Paris, 2012 - 24 Sarajevo - Bascarsija, September 2018
25 Jurjeva Luka, Lastovo, Hrvatska, September 2018 - 26Funchal City Centre, Madeira - April, 2019
 
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  urban squares urbansquares copyright initiative is licensed under a creative commons attribution-share alike 2.5 canada license. September 21, 2020  
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  Last time updated on September 21, 2020