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Rue de Fürstenberg
by David Annandale
The rue de Fürstenberg is one of Paris'
quiet surprises. Created in 1699 by the cardinal whose name it bears,
this tiny street of tasteful galleries and apartments is tucked away
behind St-Germain-des-Prés.
Neither an imposing monument, nor a
sumptuous boulevard, Rue de Fürstenberg is instead a delicate gem,
one of the nuanced brushstrokes which make Paris a canvas of infinite
delight and discovery.
At a mere 82 metres long, Rue de
Fürstenberg is easy to miss in the tangle of streets between the
Boulevard St-Germain and the Seine. The purest way to experience this
street is to stumble upon it. To walk the neighbourhood at random,
especially in the late evening, and suddenly find oneself in the little
square (Place Furstenberg) is to receive a real gift from the city. But
Rue de Fürstenberg loses none of its charm if deliberately sought
out.
From the northern end of the place
St-Germain-des-Prés, turn east on the rue de l'Abbaye, and Rue
Fürstenberg is the first left, running between Rue de l'Abbaye and
Rue Jacob. Both ends of the street are very short, and in the center
Rue de Fürstenberg opens up into a square.
On an island in the middle of the square is
a group of paulownias, and at their centre is a five-globed, vintage
streetlamp. In the spring, the trees bear delicate pyramids of purple
flowers. In the summer, the heart-shaped leaves form a canopy over the
square, and this is perhaps the best time to visit the area, especially
after dark. Then, the soft light of the streetlamp is reflected by the
leaves, suffusing the street with a shimmering white glow. It is not
uncommon to find street musicians here, taking advantage of the
atmosphere. The musicians, if present, are usually not the jazz combos
that often play a few blocks away on the rue St-André-des-Arts,
but rather solo balladeers in keeping with the quiet of the street.
Whether or not there are performers, though, the nighttime atmosphere
of Rue de Fürstenberg will move any romantic to tears.
I have always been struck by the area's
quiet. Though the bustling Boulevard St-Germain is only seconds away,
the noise of the metropolis disappears the moment one arrives in the
square. Calm descends, birdsong dominating instead of traffic. Rue de
Fürstenberg is, in miniature, one of the innumerable instances of
village life that co-exist with the cosmopolitan exuberance of the big
city.
Painter Eugène Delacroix spent the
last six years of his life (1857-63) at number 6, and it seems he
called his Fürstenberg home his “retreat.” It is easy
to see why.
David Annandale also won the 3rd prize in the Paris Essay Contest for his essay.
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