Quai de Montebello, Riverfront in 5th arrondissement, France
Quai de Montebello is a waterfront path along the Seine in Paris with direct views of Notre-Dame Cathedral. The roughly 300-meter-long and 15-meter-wide walkway connects different streets of the Latin Quarter and functions as a pedestrian zone facing the river.
A first project for a quay between the Petit-Pont and the former quai des Miramiones was drawn up on 2 May 1799 but never carried out. A plan of 25 March 1811 foresaw a quai de Montebello between the pont Saint-Michel and the pont de la Tournelle; only the stretch up to the Petit-Pont was built and named quai Saint-Michel. The section became quai de la Bûcherie in 1818, was extended by royal ordinances of 1837 and 1839, and took the name quai de Montebello in 1843, honouring Jean Lannes, Duke of Montebello, killed at Essling in 1809.
The quay takes its name from Jean Lannes, Duke of Montebello, a marshal of the Empire killed at Essling on 22 May 1809. At no. 25, at the corner with rue Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre, is the entrance to the square René-Viviani, a public garden beside the river.
The pedestrian path is about 15 meters wide and offers multiple access points between neighboring streets, making it easy to reach. The area connects to public transportation and is open to pedestrians throughout the day.
On 27 June 1918, during a German air raid on Paris, a bomb fell into the Seine level with No. 13 quai de Montebello. It exploded in the water rather than on the quay, so the event left no visible scar on the stonework.
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