Passage du Ponceau, Covered passage in Bonne-Nouvelle district, Paris, France.
Passage du Ponceau is a private covered passage linking 212 Rue Saint-Denis with 119 Boulevard de Sébastopol. It is a narrow corridor of storefronts under a glass roof, hung with clusters of wrapped candy decorations in gold, red, silver and green. A tall wrought-iron gate with pointed finials and a circular wreath closes the far end.
Opened in 1826, the Passage du Ponceau was cut short in 1854 when the Boulevard de Sébastopol was driven through, which cost it most of its architectural qualities. It then became a place for warehouses used by Sentier clothing brands. Almost nothing of the original passage survives: neither the glass roof, nor the light fittings, nor any decoration; only a few mouldings remain.
The name comes from the Rue du Ponceau, after a small bridge (ponceau) over a sewer covered in 1605 near Rue Saint-Denis. Since 1854 the passage has mainly housed workshops and warehouses for Sentier clothing brands, and visitors still see clothing businesses behind its shopfronts.
Passage du Ponceau runs between 212 Rue Saint-Denis and 119 Boulevard de Sébastopol, in the Bonne-Nouvelle quarter. The nearest metro stop is Réaumur - Sébastopol, also served by buses. The walkway is narrow, and a wrought-iron gate with pointed finials closes its far end.
Almost nothing of the 1826 passage survives: the glass roof, the light fittings and the decoration are all gone, and only a few mouldings remain. The passage was shortened in 1854 when Boulevard de Sébastopol was cut through, after which it served mainly as warehouses for Sentier clothing brands.
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