Rue du Faubourg du Temple

I have already made posts about Belleville, an area in the eastern part of Paris. Mostly you refer to Rue de Belleville and the adjacent streets in the 19th and 20th arrondissements. Originally, Belleville was however a commune (integrated in Paris in 1860) which also covered part of the present 10th and 11th arrondissements. The street I will talk about today, Rue du Faubourg du Temple is the continuation of rue de Belleville in the direction of Place de la République (see previous posts) and represents the border between the 10th and 11th arrondissments. The feeling along the street is very much the “Belleville” of today; cheap shops, bars and restaurants and a lot of Chinese and Arab influence ... and here more tags than graffiti or "urban art".
Once again, the charm is often to be found when you more or less successfully push some gates to hidden courtyards and alleys.

One remarkable building is the “Palais du Commerce”. It was built in the 20’s. Today, you will on the ground floor find some not extremely fashionable shops, but walking up the stairs there are some quite nice establishments, studios and offices. Your eyes are however especially attracted by the stained glass windows.

Some quite well-known theatres and clubs can be found along the street, including “La Java”, inside the “Palais du Commerce”, where as well Maurice Chevalier as Edith Piaf (with Belleville origins) made their first performances.

When crossing Boulevard Jules Ferry (covering the Canal St. Martin – see previous post), there are some trees and the statue of “La Grisette”, a typical Parisian profile of the 19th century; selling food or flowers in the surrounding streets or working in one the then existing factories along the canal and probably having a few male friends. (Adam, "Invisible Paris", made a very complete post about her.)