Passages and Galleries

There are a number of (mostly) 19th century “passages” or “galleries” in Paris. They were somehow the predecessors to present shopping centres - rain and weather protected. I have already posted about some of them:
Passage Prado (1785), Passage Jouffroy (1847); Passage des Panoramas (1834), Passage Vendôme (abt. 1825), Passage Brady (1828 ), Passage Bourg l’Abbé (1828) and Passage du Grand Cerf (abt. 1830).

There are many more. This is about some of them which are quite geographically grouped (see Google map at the end).

I have no specific information about Passage Hulot – and there is not much to see - except that it’s officially closed (however still open) and that obviously Molière died in an apartment at this address (1673), soon after having collapsed on scene at the nearby theatre (Palais Royal). (No plate to be seen, but his statue is very close.) (You can find a post about Palais Royal I made last year.)

Passage des Deux Pavillons is just an opening between Palais Royal and Galérie Colbert and Galérie Vivienne (see below).

Galérie Vivienne (1826) (see also top pcture) was very much "à la mode" during a few decades after its opening, full of fashionable shops, drinking and eating places. In 1830, Berlioz led crowds here, singing “La Marseillaise” to celebrate the revolution of the July monarchy. A few decades later, games and prostitution were prohibited in the nearby Palais Royal and the number of visitors decreased. In the beginning of the 20th century, it was thought to have the Gallery demolished, but it somehow survived, was restored and in the in the 70’s and 80’s it became again fashionable, to a large extent thanks to Kenzo and J-P Gaultier who installed shops and made fashion shows here.

Galérie Colbert (1827), opening one year after Galérie Vivienne, never achieved the same popularity. It was completely rebuilt in 1985. Today it’s owned by the nearby National Library and is basically occupied by official institutions (National Institute for Art History and some Sorbonne University activities). There is also a restaurant, Le Grand Colbert, with a typical 19th century brasserie setting, and a statue, “Eurydice bitten by a snake”, by C.F.Nanteuil-Lebeuf; there is another “Eurydice-statue” by him at the Louvre.

Galérie Viro-Dodat (1826) was created by two butchers, Viro and Dodat. It was restored in the 80’s and still offers a number of quite elegant shops and a café (where Gérard de Nerval had a last drink before he hanged himself). You can find some very nice ceiling paintings.

Here is where you can find these places.