Porte Chaumont de Paris

The Porte de Chaumont is a simple, paved gateway marking a former entry point into Paris through the Thiers wall. Unlike the ornate gates built for royal processions, this structure served the industrial needs of the nineteenth century, controlling the flow of goods and laborers between the city and the suburban stone quarries. In the winter of eighteen seventy, this spot became the site of a grim confrontation when workers from Belleville marched here to protest the city's surrender during the Franco-Prussian War.