rue de Lappe

Rue de Lappe in Paris's 11th arrondissement is a busy street that connects Rue de la Roquette with Rue de Charonne. The pulsating heart of the trendy Bastille neighborhood, it is best known today for its lively nightlife. The lane takes its name from the market gardener Gérard de Lappe, who tended gardens here in the seventeenth century. It was originally called Rue Gaillard, after an abbot who founded an institution for the education of poor children in the nearby Faubourg Saint-Antoine. It was not until the nineteenth century that it received its present name, after a temporary renaming in honor of Louis-Philippe was reversed.

The history of the street is closely intertwined with the working class and with Paris's immigrant history. In the nineteenth century, metal dealers dominated here, before the lane became a gathering place for Bretons and Auvergnats, who opened simple taverns. These establishments, often flanked by tall, weathered buildings, also drew in the city's rabble. Around 1880, the musical traditions of the Auvergne and of Italian immigrants gave rise to the bal musette, a popular style of dance. In the 1930s, the street was home to numerous dance halls, among them the famous Bal à Jo, which opened in 1936 under the patronage of the entertainer Mistinguett and is still considered a cultural landmark today.

Today, the colorful facades and decorated doors of the old taverns define the look of Rue de Lappe. Here you can experience a mix of historic flair and modern nightlife. The street also has a firm place in cultural history: the poet Francis Lemarque, who was born here, immortalized it in a song that was later sung by Mouloudji. The lane has also appeared in films several times, including those that capture life in the musette balls and the social diversity of the neighborhood. Rue de Lappe thus remains a place that combines the eventful past of the Parisian working people with its appeal today.