The Barrière d'Enfer (, ) is a pair of tollhouses in Paris that once served as a gate through the

Wall of the Farmers-General A wall is a structure and a surface that defines an area; carries a load; provides security, Shelter in place, shelter, or soundproofing; or serves a decorative purpose. There are various types of walls, including border barriers between countr ...

(Mur des Fermiers généraux) at the current location of the

Place Denfert-Rochereau The Place Denfert-Rochereau (), previously known as the Place d'Enfer, is a public square located in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, 14th arrondissement of Paris, France, in the Montparnasse district, at the intersection of the boulevards Boule ...

Origin of name

The name "Barrière d'Enfer" comes from the street "Rue d'Enfer" (now called "Rue Denfert-Rochereau) which leads there after crossing the Rue de Faubourg-Saint Jacques. Some historians think the street was named because it was "a place of debauchery and robbery", while others believe that the name comes from a corruption of the Latin ''via inferior ''(in contrast with Rue Saint-Jacques, which was known as the ''via superior''). According to Michel Roblin, the name may be derived from the nickname ''en fer'' ("of iron") given to a door on the

Wall of Philip II Augustus The Wall of Philip Augustus is the oldest city wall of Paris (France) whose plan is accurately known. Partially integrated into buildings, more traces of it remain than of the later fortifications. History The wall was built during the struggl ...

History

The two neo-classical pavilions that make up the Barrière were built in 1787 by the architect

Claude Nicolas Ledoux Claude-Nicolas Ledoux (; 21 March 1736 – 18 November 1806) was one of the earliest exponents of French Neoclassical architecture. He used his knowledge of architectural theory to design not only domestic architecture but also town planning; ...

, both of which exist still. The buildings are decorated by friezes depicting dancers sculpted by Jean Guillaume Moitte. The tollhouses were designed for collecting the ''

octroi Octroi (; , to grant, authorize; Lat. ''auctor'') is a local tax collected on various articles brought into a district for consumption. Antiquity The word itself is of French origin. Octroi taxes have a respectable antiquity, being known in R ...

'','' ''or taxes on goods entering the city. The main streets originating from the Barrière d'Enfer were the Boulevard d'Enfer (now a part of the

Boulevard Raspail The Boulevard Raspail () is a boulevard of Paris, in France. Its orientation is north–south, and joins boulevard Saint-Germain with place Denfert-Rochereau whilst traversing 7th, 6th and 14th arrondissements. The boulevard intersects maj ...

), the Rue d'Enfer, and the Boulevard Saint-Jacques. The third act of the opera ''

La Bohème ''La bohème'' ( , ) is an opera in four acts,Puccini called the divisions '':wikt:quadro, quadri'', ''wikt:tableau, tableaux'' or "images", rather than ''atti'' (acts). composed by Giacomo Puccini between 1893 and 1895 to an Italian libretto b ...

'' by

Giacomo Puccini Giacomo Puccini (22 December 1858 29 November 1924) was an Italian composer known primarily for List of compositions by Giacomo Puccini#Operas, his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera after Verdi, he ...

portrays Mimi approaching the Barrière d'Enfer from the Paris side to visit a tavern. The Barrière is also mentioned in

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

's novel ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...

:'' :"How did those children come there? Perhaps they had escaped from some guardhouse which stood ajar; perhaps in the vicinity, at the barrière d'Enfer, or on the esplanade de l'Observatoire, or in the neighboring carrefour, dominated by the pediment on which could be read: ''invenerunt parvulum pannis involutum'' they discovered the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes" there was some mountebank's booth from which they had fled ��"

Description

The Barrière consists of two identical buildings on either side of the Avenue du Colonel-Henri-Rol-Tanguy, which is itself located along the axis of the Avenue Denfert-Rochereau and Avenue du Général-Leclerc. Paris Catacombs Entrance

* No. 3 (the eastern building) is the building of the Inspector General of Quarries. The entrance to the

Catacombs of Paris The Catacombs of Paris (, ) are underground ossuaries in Paris, France, which hold the remains of more than six million people. Built to consolidate Paris's ancient stone quarries, they extend south from the ("Gate of Hell") former city gate. ...

is located next to building No. 1. * No. 4 (the western building) houses of the Highway Service. Beneath the building starting in August 1944 were the headquarters of Colonel

Henri Rol-Tanguy Henri Rol-Tanguy (; 12 June 1908 – 8 September 2002) was a French Communism, communist and leader in the French Resistance, Resistance against Nazi Germany in World War II. At his death ''The New York Times'' called him "one of France's mo ...

, from which he gave orders pertaining to the

French Resistance The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...

and the

Liberation of Paris The liberation of Paris () was a battle that took place during World War II from 19 August 1944 until the German garrison surrendered the French capital on 25 August 1944. Paris had been occupied by Nazi Germany since the signing of the Armisti ...

. In commemoration of this, a portion of the Place Denfert-Rochereau between the two buildings was renamed ''avenue du Colonel-Henri-Rol-Tanguy ''on the 15th of March 2004, on the sixtieth anniversary of the Liberation of Paris.

References

Notes

This article was translated largely from corresponding material on :fr:Barrière d’Enfer. {{DEFAULTSORT:Barriere d'Enfer Tourist attractions in Paris Buildings and structures in the 14th arrondissement of Paris Catacombs History of Paris Ossuaries City walls in France Taxation in France Fortifications of Paris 1787 establishments in France