Place Mireille Havet, Pedestrian square in the 11th arrondissement, Paris, France
Place Mireille Havet is a small pedestrian square in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, set between the Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Antoine and the Rue Faidherbe. It consists of an open paved area with benches, planters, and modern lighting, bordered by shops and cafes on all sides.
The area around this square began to grow in the early 17th century as the neighborhood along the Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Antoine became more populated. In 1643, the abbess of Saint-Antoine-des-Champs was granted permission to open a market on this spot, which laid the foundation for the public space that exists today.
The square is named after a poet who moved in Paris literary circles in the 1920s and was supported by writers like Apollinaire and Colette. A small plaque marks her name, while the space itself is used daily by neighbors as a simple meeting point.
The square is close to the Faidherbe-Chaligny metro station and easy to reach on foot. It is open throughout the day and works well as a short stop during a walk through the neighborhood.
Mireille Havet, who the square is dedicated to, published only one novel during her lifetime, titled "Carnaval" in 1923. Her personal diaries, in which she wrote openly about her addictions and her love for women, were only rediscovered and published in 1995.
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