Summary
Fulgence Bienvenüe was born in Uzel, Brittany, on January 27, 1852. He excelled in his studies and went on to become a civil engineer with the French Corps of Bridges and Roads. He began his career working in the railway sector before moving to Paris. Among his many achievements, he was involved in the development of the Buttes-Chaumont park and the Belleville funicular tramway, which operated until 1935.
When the city of Paris launched a call for proposals for a metropolitan railway system, it selected the project he submitted with Edmond Huet. In 1898, Fulgence Bienvenüe was appointed head of the Paris Metro's technical department. He was the one who inaugurated the first metro line in 1900, the same year he was appointed an Officer of the Légion d’honneur.
He directed the construction work until 1932, when he finally retired at the age of 80! He therefore worked on every metro line except Line 14, which opened in 1998. Today, his grave can be found in Père Lachaise Cemetery.
Did you know?
It was in honor of the man known as the “father of the Metro” that the Avenue du Maine station was renamed after him in 1932. In 1942, it merged with the Gare Montparnasse station to become Montparnasse–Bienvenüe, now served by Lines 4, 6, 12, and 13.
To pay tribute to this historic figure, a bust was unveiled on July 24, 2024, at Montparnasse–Bienvenüe station, in the presence of Jean Castex, CEO of the RATP Group; Marc Le Fur, former Member of Parliament; Corentin Le Fur, Member of Parliament for the 3rd constituency of Côtes-d’Armor; and elected officials from Uzel, the town where the creator of the Paris Metro was born.
To find out more, discover the three videos below dedicated to Fulgence Bienvenüe (french versions).
