8.2.10

Rue des Rosiers



Rue des Rosiers in the Marais area is originally a 12th century street which got its name from the rosebushes which covered the Philippe Auguste wall (see previous posts) of which you can see some traces in the backyards (I may revert on this another time).

This is the middle of a historic Jewish quarter, referred to as the “Pletzl”, the Yiddish name for a little place. Jewish communities have lived here since the street was new. At different periods they have of course been expelled. Today the population is obviously basically a Yiddish speaking Ashkenazi community which settled here at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century.

There are some modest entries to synagogues and “shtiebels” (prayer rooms), schools (read “Schule”). There used to be a “hammam” (public baths)...

The street is still dominated by Jewish bookshops, bakeries, restaurants, charcuteries... although some fashion shops now also appear. One example of this is what used to be the most well-known Paris Jewish brasserie, Goldenberg, which closed in 2006. The restaurant was attacked by a still unrevealed group in 1982; six people were killed and some 20 injured.

It’s obvious that you will find offers of falafel, kosher, delicatessen, strudel... all over the place.

The street of course suffered seriously from the period 1940-44. A lot of buildings have commemorative plates over deported people. The main entrance to what those days was a school for boys is in the side street (rue Hospitalière Saint-Gervais). 165 students were deported.

47 comments:

Baglady said...

One of my favourite parts of Paris and yet I so rarely look up to see the signs and plaques. Thanks for sharing :)

Mr London Street said...

I too am a massive fan of rue des Rosiers - this lovely post took me right back to my last trip to Paris before making me daydream about my next one.

Simony said...

You have a talent on putting your photos together. Always a pleasure to visit your blog.

Rakesh Vanamali said...

Must be such a treat to have all those book shops in one place!

Heaven!

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Thérèse said...

De bien bonnes boulangeries rue des Rosiers...
Un très joli montage sur ce coin du Marais.

Cergie said...

Là ont été tournées des scènes de Rabbi Jacob avec de Funès.
Je me souviens d'autant mieux de la fusillade de 1982 qu'à l'époque nous habitions rue des Rosiers... à Bourg la Reine (92)

Claudia said...

Ah! This is where I had the only baklava I ever enjoyed :)
I absolutely love this street. Great post, Peter.

Nathalie H.D. said...

A great post Peter, thanks for taking the time to look up to the signs and plaques for us - tragedy struck all too often in this quarter of Paris. I'd like to think that the worse is over but reality is that peace building requires continuous hard work.

Nathalie H.D. said...

... of course you were also right to show the light-hearted side of this wonderful street : all the wonderful food shops and fashion & decoration boutiques. It's a fun part of Paris to visit!


PS- thanks for your visit to Avignon. You are right, I didn't get out of the car half-way up Mount Ventoux. I was aiming for the top, which you'll see tomorrow ! (hope to see you soon in Menton)

Anonymous said...

The Street of Roses — what a nice name. And in your photography it seems the rural atmosphere vanished and is replaced with stone and mortar and houses of all sizes and shapes — a little place for God's Chosen People — the Jews: who have come and gone, over the ages, at the behest of their neighbors. Your photography is, as it has always been, excellent, and only surpassed by your creative talent in making a post a thing of admiration. My hat is off to your talents, once again. And I hope yo stopped for some of the baked goods.

Thanks to you, Peter, for the generous comment you left me on my Brookville Daily Photo blog about my television program and the 16th century illumination piece done for the show and the book.

Brookville Daily Photo

hpy said...

C'était pas un quartier que je fréquentais, j'ai du aller au resto là-bas une seule fois. Par contre je ne saurais pas te dire si le resto figure sur tes photos!

Anonymous said...

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet."
Thanks, Peter.

Jim

BLOGitse said...

Maybe I should study French because I really like the sound of it and it looks..charming! Like Spanish which I like too...
The first pic is my favourite. I can imagine myself walking and enjoying the feeling in that narrow street...full of history and stories of life...aaaah!
Thanks for sharing!

Welcome to listen adhan in Cairo!

BLOGitse

Adam said...

I had never noticed all these signs before. It is a street undergoing a lot of changes, and dare I say it, becoming very 'fashionable' (which means a lot more designer boutiques and less Jewish bookshops). This is surely not a good thing!

Runs With Scissors said...

Do you know anything about the significance of the bull at the school for boys on the Rue Hospitaliere Saint-Gervais? Or what the name of the school was? Love your blog!
Shirley Windham

vera said...

tu connais mieux Paris que n importe quel parisien, du moins ceux d 'aujourd hui ... :-))

vera said...

tu connais mieux Paris que n importe quel parisien, du moins ceux d 'aujourd hui ... :-))

Parisbreakfasts said...

Miam miam
drooling all over my drawings
! ! !
Love that 1st picture...like being there...

Anne in Oxfordshire said...

Thanks Peter, one of my favourite areas to peruse around. I instantly knew where you were ..In the first picture I believe the little red shop you can just about see is a little restaurant where you can take out too..

Mo said...

Great post as awlays

Jeanne Henriques said...

Fantastic! I love street scenes. At first glance when I pull them up on my computer I am not so sure but when you look closer there is always something there. I think the way you have collaged these is great...very interesting!

sonia a. mascaro said...

Peter, I never cease to enjoy your fascinating pictures from Paris. What a gorgeous city!
Thanks for sharing those fantastic tours.

Starman said...

I hadn't heard about the 1982 attack. I wonder what their purpose might have been. Surely, they knew the place would be full of tourists.

Anonymous said...

very useful read. I would love to follow you on twitter. By the way, did anyone hear that some chinese hacker had busted twitter yesterday again.

Louis la Vache said...

When «Louis» lived in Paris, he lived in the Marais, so most of the places you show here are familiar to him. Once again, you've made «Louis» wish he were in Paris!

Olivier said...

pas que de beaux souvenirs cette rue...la connerie humaine avait frappé fort....Je goutterais bien l'authentique FALAFEL..

claude said...

C'est un quartier et une rue qui font que Paris est Paris. Tout le monde a droit à son petit coin de la capitale pour apporter sa culture, son manger, sa religion, ses coutumes, surtout quand, après tout, tu es français tout en étant juif.
Je ne connsais pas cette rue mais bien évidemment en avait entendu parler lors de l'attentat de 1982.

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Cheryl said...

This is one part of Paris I must see next time I visit. Your top photo conveys the neighborhood's charm perfectly.

ps - I wonder what group would attack a restaurant?

Cezar and Léia said...

Hello dear Peter!
Another wonderful post and magnificent views!
Here I'm trying to recover about an awful "cold"...after so much emotion in Paris, I got a little "gift"LOL
Okay, it's not true, this "cold"is the result of all snow of last week here in Luxembourg.But I'm feeling better now.
Thanks so much for your always kind words,I love your blog and I'm honoured by your friendship!
Hope you come to visit us here soon!:)
Hugs
Léia

Catherine said...

C'est une rue que j'aime bien, néanmoins, au cours des années, elle devient comme une grande vitrine, je trouve, et a perdu de son authenticité. Depuis que la rue et ses boutiques sont réaménagées, offrent leurs façades aux couleurs rutilantes, on croirait un parcours obligé pour visiteurs du dimanche. Cette impression est d'ailleurs commune à tout le marais. Mais cela reste pittoresque et insolite à découvrir commme tes photos le suggèrent.

Jilly said...

I so love this part of Paris, Peter and you've captured it, as always, so beautifully. So interesting to read the history, sadly often not good. And good see the lift of the Marais now.

PeterParis said...

Baglady:
So bag shops in this street, I believe? :-)

Mr London Street:
Stop dreaming and just come! :-)

Simony Silva:
Thanks and welcome back... always! :-)

PeterParis said...

V Rakesh:
Not forgetting the food stuff! :-)

Thérèse:
Des bonnes boulangeries, en effet! :-)

Cergie:
Je crois qu'ils ont filmé une "Rue des Rosiers" ailleurs, mais je ne suis pas sur. :-)

PeterParis said...

Claudia:
Happy you enjoyed then ... and now! :-)

Nathalie:
Let's hope! :-)

Nathalie bis:
Now, I have seen the top! Fantastic! :-)

PeterParis said...

Abraham:
I appreciate a lot your kind compliments ... and you know that I also appreciate your blogs a lot! :-)

hpy:
... ou si le resto existe encore. Il faut venir vérifier! :-)

Designslinger:
A nice quote! Thanks Jim! :-)

PeterParis said...

BLOGitse:
I hope your capacity to learn French or Spanish is better than mine to learn Finnish! :-)

Adam:
Yes, there is an obvious risk that it will lose its specific charm! :-)

PeterParis said...

sswindham:
The school is called "Ecole Elementaire des Hospitaliers-Saint-Gervais." Part of the area occupied by the school (built 1844) was previously occupied by butchers. This explains the bulls (there are two of them), serving as fountains.

Normally there should be some 700 pupils here, those days mostly Jewish, but when the school year 1944 started, there were only four of them. 165 were reported dead in concentration camps.

Vera:
Ca fait 36 ans que j'habite Paris! :-)

ParisBreakfasts:
No macarons in this street I believe! :-)

PeterParis said...

Anne:
You are right and I believe the restaurant is called Marianne! :-)

Mo:
Thanks!! :-)

Jeanne:
I appreciate if you spend some time looking for the "details"! :-)

PeterParis said...

Sonia:
The gorgeous city is still waiting for you! :-)

Starman:
Not only tourists! Most probably something to do with the Arab-Israeli conflict!

Louis la Vache:
You chose a nice and interesting area! :-)

PeterParis said...

Olivier:
Comme tu dis! :-( et :-)

Claude:
Donc, une rue à visiter la prochaine fois! :-)

Cheryl:
I hope you will be around soon! :-) I think that the restaurant was something like a Jewish symbol in Paris!

PeterParis said...

Léia:
You should try Paris in a better weather next time! April? :-)

Catherine:
C'est un danger, mais il reste encore un charme particulier! :-)

Jilly:
A appreciate a loot thet you like! :-)

BLOGitse said...

Finnish? YOU don't need to learn it! I was born in it! :)

But to communicate out of Finland we have to study other languages. I can little bit Swedish, Spanish, Arabic, English...next will be French - and I know it! How? Because we're moving from here late March/mid April...
So. When I've learned a little French I'll visit Paris and we go to have lunch/dinner/a glass (two) of wine together?! Yeah?!
What a great plan!? :)

PeterParis said...

BLOGitse:
Looking forward to it!! :-)

Jeanie said...

I stayed in the Marais when I was in Paris and loved walking down this street -- I wish I'd taken more photos, and I'm so pleased to see yours. It was a fascinating area!