Square Colbert, Urban park in 11th arrondissement, Paris, France.
Square Colbert is a 6,337 m² square in the 11th arrondissement, laid out in 1975 on a rectangle of about 70 m by 60 m. It is enclosed by buildings on every side, so visitors reach it by passing through the building at 159 rue de Charonne. Inside are tree-lined paths, lawns, a children's playground and a shared garden, with a two-storey neoclassical pavilion of beige stone and slate, its upper windows set with small iron balconies.
The square occupies part of the estate of the Pension Belhomme, a maison de santé founded around 1770 by Jacques Belhomme on the Rue de Charonne. The estate was dismantled and divided into building lots after the Second World War, and the square itself was created in 1975.
The square takes its name from Jean-Baptiste Colbert (1619–1683), Louis XIV's controller general of finances. The name was given to this 1975 public garden laid out on the former Belhomme estate, so it recalls a minister of state rather than any local figure.
The entrance is at 159 Rue de Charonne, but you must pass through the building itself to reach the garden. Philippe Auguste station on line 2 lies 300 m to the northeast; Charonne station on line 9 is the other option. The square is enclosed by buildings on every side.
A neoclassical pavilion from the era of the Belhomme boarding house still stands within the park as a remnant of its previous use. This structure quietly reminds visitors of the health facility that once occupied the land.
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