Paul Robin Square

Paul Robin Square sits at the intersection of Rue de la Chapelle and Rue Pajol. Its defining feature is a large, weathered bronze bust of Paul Robin perched on a stone pedestal. Robin was a radical educator and activist who spent his life campaigning against state-run boarding schools and compulsory military service. He founded a coeducational orphanage in Cempuis where children learned through experience rather than rote memorization. The city government ultimately shut down the orphanage after a intense public scandal regarding his unconventional methods.