A trip down ‘history lane’
Original sounding street name in Paris
The roads and grands boulevards of Paris emit an array of permanent reminders to history’s greatest events and personalities. At every junction, crossroads and street corner, pedestrians and motorists are bombarded with names, dates, historical references and colourfully constructed sentences painting a range of quirky images. Walking through central Paris, one can wander down Rue Victor Hugo, cross the river to Place Charles de Gaulle and gently stroll down Rue du Chat qui Pèche or the fishing cat. It is an impossible feat to escape contemporary society’s link with the past. Roads and streets in Paris name themselves after the notions of peace, truth and even bribery; not to mention those names which describe anything from smoking dogs to flying birds.
An intrinsic part to finding your way round the dainty streets and expansive Haussman boulevards of Paris naturally involves the visual consumption of the most important elements to French history. Rue de Mai 1958 - a road that signifies the date that France created its Fifth Republic - is an example of how events of national importance play a central role in the daily lives of every Parisian who steps beyond the realm of their front door. I struggle to believe that citizens in Britain would necessarily succeed in quoting June 1815 as the date that Wellington defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo. Frankly, attaching a series of historically orientated references to street names in Britain is not considered as normal practice. Despite a nationwide awareness of important dates and personalities which help to create a strong sense of national identity in Britain, there is no government initiative which displays them so readily to the general public. In France, whether a resident, tourist or backpacker, nobody is exempt from an intimate relationship with the country’s history.
French presidents have consistently supported the idea of the secular state; in other words, being French before being Algerian, Moroccan or Tunisian. Rue Voltaire, Place de la Madeleine and Rue Edgard Quinet all allow the French to associate themselves to a fruitful and inspirational historical past. In Britain, the adventures of street naming stop at ‘Baker Street’ or ‘Church Street.’
Admittedly, there has been no revolution in Britain to warrant any kind of sporadic street naming practice of a similar nature. Perhaps this is why the French spend 13,000 Euros a year on maintaining their state manufactured blue and white street signs. The French are inclined to cherish all those people who have helped enrich and enhance aspects to life in the capital city.
Street naming is rarely a practical affair in France. The French citizen has no desire to know whether or not the street used to be situated near to a blacksmith or is geographically located close to a hill. Instead, streets are dedicated to the living memories which help to sustain the existence of their national identity. I am beginning to understand where all this pride comes from in French people.
