Now a charming thoroughfare in the 4th arrondissement, the rue de l’Hôtel de Ville is apparently free of any troubles, but it has seen many horrors pass over its cobblestones. Epidemics, clashes, bloody brawls: a macabre past for the former “rue de la Mortellerie”, earning it the reputation of being the most cursed street in Paris. We tell you the story of this corner of Paris that you’ll never look at the same again…
The tragic fate of Paris’s most cursed street
À medieval times In medieval times, the street was still called rue de la Foulerie, after the many fullers who plied their trade in the area. Later, morteliers – whose job it was to grind stone into plaster – operated here, due to its proximity to the Seine. The Parisian thoroughfare became known as rue de la Mortellerie. And so the trouble began.
In 1832, the capital was hit by a violent second wave of Morbius cholera, which killed thousands. In the eye of the storm, the Saint-Merri district, because of its proximity to the river, was particularly hard hit. Rue de la Mortellerie alone suffered 671 deaths from the disease, and lost 6.4% of its population – an all-time record…
But the troubles didn’t stop there for this dark, narrow corner of Paris… As early as 1848, the June Days began, a period of great revolt by Parisian workers in the face of the closure of the national workshops. Numerous clashes broke out across the city, leaving more than 4,000 dead. Rue de la Mortellerie was one of the bloodiest theaters of these brawls. The corpses lying on the ground and the blood flowing in the grooves of the cobblestones will undoubtedly remain etched forever in the history of the street in the heart of Paris.
Although it had nothing to do with its tragic fate, the name of the street, whose numbers were painted red, was associated with all the misfortune that spread through it. That’s why local residents requested a name change. It became Rue de l’Hôtel de Ville, as we know it today.
Rue de l’Hôtel de Ville, 75004