Metro Cadet : where does the name of this Paris metro station come from ?

Some metro stations have rather obvious names in terms of their etymology or their geographical location close to a monument. Along stations such as Assemblée nationale, Gare du Nord, Bastille and Musée d'Orsay, the station closest to our hotel, Cadet, may intrigue you? Here's a brief history.

Just 300 metres from our hotel, Cadet station is on line 7 of the Paris metro and was opened in 1910. But the name Cadet goes back even further. Let's stop our time machine in the 17th century: at that time, rue Cadet, which now stretches between rue du Faubourg Montmartre and rue Lamartine, was called rue de la Voirie. Forget the shops and trendy addresses you'll find there today: in the 17th century, it was better known for the heaps of rubbish that occupied the area near rue de Rochechouart.

Sebastien Gabriel - Unsplash

However, it was from this unattractive situation that two master gardeners who were quite renowned under Charles IX, the Cadet brothers, came up with an ingenious and lucrative venture. At the time, the street ran through a former garden belonging to the Cadet de Chambine family. The "Cadet brothers" collected this manure, which proved to be of excellent quality, to fertilise the soil of their market gardens, which they then sold to the best restaurants in the capital. What a business plan! They made a fortune. 

The Cadet station, which now bears their name, can be seen as a symbol of ingenuity and entrepreneurship, at a time when Paris was not all glamourous.

Cover picture : hannah cauhepe / Unsplash