Built under Place de la Bastille, the interchange named Bastille serves metro lines 1, 5 and 8. The metro line 1 station was opened on 19 July 1900, with the first segment commissioned between Porte de Vincennes and Porte Maillot stations. On 17 December 1906, the metro line 5 section of the station was inaugurated, followed by the metro line 8 section on 5 May 1931.
A name symbolising the French Revolution
Bastille metro station was named after Place de la Bastille, which it serves. Place de la Bastille was a symbolic landmark in the French Revolution, where the eponymous former fortress was destroyed on 14 July 1789.
Initially, a column celebrating liberty was to be erected at Place de la Bastille, but a guillotine was installed instead. In 1808, Napoleon Bonaparte commissioned the construction of a colossal bronze elephant at the square. However, only a full-scale plaster model was built and displayed at the centre of the square in 1833. In 1840, the July Column was eventually erected, commemorating the three days – 28, 29, and 30 July 1830 – that led to the fall of Charles X, King of France.
Vestiges unearthed
During the construction of metro line 1, vestiges of the Tour de la Liberté (tower of liberty, a former tower in the Bastille fortress) were uncovered at what is now the rue Saint-Antoine entrance to the station. The structure was then dismantled and reconstructed in Henri-Galli square at Quai des Célestins, where it can still be seen to this day.
On metro line 1, an illuminated plaque inside the tunnel, near the station exit towards La Défense, indicates the location of the former tower. The plaque can be seen from inside metro trains.
In the 2010s, historic vestiges of the demolished fortress were showcased at the station’s metro line 5 platforms. Passengers travelling towards Bobigny – Pablo Picasso are able to see a portion of the former counterscarp from the moat of the fortress, and part of a scarp that appears in a spandrel above a staircase.
Both of these vestiges are surrounded by large-format panels that relate the history of the Bastille, with illustrations and a map superimposing the then-and-now locations of the fortress, the metro lines that pass through Bastille, as well as Place de la Bastille, and roads that lead to it. These illustrations give passengers an accurate visual representation of where the fortress used to stand among today’s landmarks.
A stainless steel banner is embedded in the floor of the platforms, and traces out the actual location of the former ramparts. The following sentence is repeated across the banner: "limite de l’ancien mur de contrescarpe du fossé de la forteresse de la Bastille” (boundary of the former counterscarp from the moat of the Bastille fortress).
Passengers on metro line 5 platforms will then notice that metro line 5 platforms and tracks cut through several parts of this wall.
A pagoda-like entrance
From the time the station was opened, its main entrance in the middle of Place de la Bastille was a pagoda-like pavilion designed by Hector Guimard, which stood out with its horseshoe-shaped entrance and tiered zinc eaves.
The pavilion was the sum of elements that constituted the Guimard decorative style, with its enamelled orange lava stone partitions, cast iron ornamental motifs, metallic structures, and glass canopies featuring geometric shapes. The pavilion was demolished in May-June 1962, due to its dilapidated state.
The changing face of metro line 1
At the beginning of the 1960s, the walls of metro line 1 platforms were covered in a rather unusual metal sheeting resembling the earliest metal sheet prototypes, notably those used in Franklin D. Roosevelt station. This station was iconic with its red benches that were directly attached to the wall fittings, and its luxurious showcases inlaid with gemmail reproductions of famous paintings among advertising panels.
In the mid-1980s, metro line 1 platforms were stripped to make way for their current layout.
A few years later, in May 1989, a ceramic mural by artists Liliane Belembert and Odile Jacquot was installed on the side walls and spandrels of the station to celebrate the bicentenary of the French Revolution.
The mural, spanning 130 metres, and comprising 2,000 glazed sandstone tiles, depicts the major moments of this crucial period in French history.
Remarkable developments
Two distinct architectural styles coexist on metro lines 5 and 8. The platforms of these lines are underground with an oval arched ceiling.
In the 1970s, metro line 5 platforms were renovated in "Mouton-Duvernet” style, named after the first station that set the trend. The characteristics of this style are:
- Side walls covered in cheery orange and yellow ceramic tiles;
- An unlit arched ceiling, with fluorescent tube lighting focused on advertising panels;
- Red Formica benches that are directly attached to side walls.
Mouton-Duvernet style was subsequently applied to approximately 30 stations across the network.
Bastille station underwent a full makeover during station renovations in the 2000s. Since then, advertising panels have been changed to white ceramic, and station names are now shown in Parisine font on glazed plaques.
Burgundy Akiko-style seats can be found along station platforms.
Metro line 8 platforms reflect the "Andreu-Motte" style, with two illuminated orange ramps, benches and corridor exits in flat orange tiles, in addition to orange Motte-style seats. These fittings match the flat white ceramic tiles that cover the side walls, arched ceiling, and spandrels. Advertising panels have metal frames, and station names are shown in Parisine font on glazed plaques. The station is unique in that the lower section of its side walls is vertical, instead of elliptical.
The Andreu-Motte style, named after its creators, made its appearance in the 1970s, and revolutionised station interiors. This was a clean break from the orange-themed Mouton-Duvernet style, with white tiling making a comeback, and a touch of bright colours on various parts of the station that highlight the arched ceiling.
