Auteuil
Auteuil , formerly an independent municipality is, since 1860, the 61st of 80 quarters (districts) of Paris . It is located between the right bank of the Seine, known as the Rive Droite , and the Bois de Boulogne in the 16th arrondissement and is one of the most elegant and expensive districts of the French capital.
At the beginning of the 19th century, Auteuil was a small, quiet village outside the city. It was not until the rapidly growing population and extensive urban planning measures by Napoleon III's town planner, Georges-Eugène Baron Haussmann , that Auteuil was literally swallowed up by the capital in the second half of the 19th century. That this change took place surprisingly after the incorporation in 1860 can still be seen today in the fact that Auteuil has retained its original, contemplative character at some points. In addition to the elegant, typically Haussmannian boulevards with straight lines of houses and gilded balcony railings, there are streets with small, rural houses and shops.
Even before its incorporation, Auteuil was a popular retreat for artists and authors. The village features of Auteuil can be found in some impressionist paintings. One of the central figures of 20th century French literature, Marcel Proust , was born in Auteuil. Honoré de Balzac , the great master of French realism , also lived undisturbed in Auteuil for a while. The highly indebted writer hid from his creditors in a small, inconspicuous house with a garden and always used a back exit that led into the winding streets of Auteuil in order to remain unrecognized. Today the Musée Balzac is housed there. Sir Benjamin Thompson , Earl of Rumford, died in Auteuil on August 21, 1814 after an attack of fever and is buried there. A grave monument commemorates his philanthropic work.
Personalities
- Marcel Proust , French writer, critic and intellectual
- Louis Claude Marie Richard (1754–1821), botanist
See also
Coordinates: 48 ° 51 ′ 0 ″ N , 2 ° 16 ′ 0 ″ E