Every month I will make you discover one of my favourite metro stations in Paris. Indeed some of them are true gems of the underground Parisian life. Number one ranking : Arts et Métiers, on lines 11 and 3, in third arrondissement of Paris. Do not take the wrong metro line. The platform I am talking about is on line 11 direction Châtelet or Mairie des Lilas.
The station is fully covered with copper. There are gearwheels on the ceiling and portholes on the walls. The whole looks like the Nautilus, the famous submarine in Jules Verne’s novel : vingt mille lieux sous les mers. This decor was built in 1994 by Peeters and Schuitten to celebrate the bicentennial of the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers located nearby and dedicated to technological innovation.
Back to earth : the Musée des Arts et Métiers, near the metro way out, was refurbished in 2000 and exhibits about 2400 inventions. It’s really worth a visit !
Practical information : Website of the RATP
Christine Bokobza – Good Morning Paris B&B – www.goodmorningparis.fr