 A view of the Rue de Vaugirard in the 15th arrondissement in 2008 | |
  Shown within Paris | |
| Length | 4,300 m (14,100 ft) |
|---|---|
| Arrondissement | 6th, 15th |
| Quarter | Quartier de l'Odéon Quartier Necker Quartier Saint-Lambert |
| Coordinates | 48°50′34″N 2°18′42″E / 48.84278°N 2.31167°E |
| From | Jardin du Luxembourg |
| To | Porte de Versailles |
The Rue de Vaugirard (Street of Vaugirard) is the longest street inside Paris's former city walls, at 4.3 km (2.7 mi). It spans the 6th and 15th arrondissements. The Senate, housed in the Palais du Luxembourg, is at 15 Rue de Vaugirard.
Location
The Rue de Vaugirard is mostly a one-way street from the southwest edge of Paris (at the Porte de Versailles) towards the Latin Quarter at the junction of Boulevard Victor and Boulevard Lefebvre. Traffic flows in both directions between the Rue de Rennes and the Place de l'Odéon. Numbering starts in the Latin Quarter, reaching the 400s by Porte de Versailles. It the longest street in Paris.
History
The road, which appeared in the 15th century, led from Philip II's city walls towards the village of Vaugirard. This route was itself based on an old Roman road.
Origin of the name
"Vaugirard" came from an old French noun-and-genitive construction "val Girard" = "vale of Girard" (Latin vallis Girardi), after an Abbé Girard, who owned the land over which the road passes.
Sites of interest
A substantial chunk of Line 12 of the Paris Métro follows the Rue de Vaugirard. The following stations have entrances on the road:
Gallery
The Senate on the Rue de Vaugirard
Medical Centre of Pasteur Institute
Ministry of Agriculture and Fishing, Direction Générale de l'Alimentation
A campus of Panthéon-Assas University
La Maison de Poupée, 40 Rue de Vaugirard