Brochant Station

Situated under the Avenue de Clichy at Rue Brochant, Brochant Station is named after the street, which in turn, is named after Andre Brochant de Villiers, the French mineralogist and geologist responsible for the preparation of the first geological map of France.

Just like the rocks and minerals that Brochant studied, the station that bears his name has a layered history. Opened on January 20, 1912, Brochant station was on the second branch of line B of the Nord-Sud company underground train system. Two decades later, the station became part of present-day Line 13.

The Avenue de Clichy has long been associated with the arts and fashion, and the street is home to many clothing shops. Decades before passengers would board the Metro beneath the Avenue, passersby may have seen many of the Impressionists painters that resided around the area. Edouard Manet immortalized the Avenue restaurant Chez le pere Lathuille in his painting Father Lathuille.

Andre Brochant de Villiers would eventually move on from studying and teaching geology and continue his career as a general inspector of mines and a member of the Academy of Sciences. His legacy continues to thrive underground through the station as the metro stops to takes passengers throughout Paris.