Porte du Pré Saint-Gervais de Paris

The Porte du Pré Saint-Gervais is marked by a wide, paved intersection where several major roads converge near the edge of Paris. Unlike the historic gates of the old city wall, this point served as a functional toll barrier for the Thiers Wall, built in the mid-nineteenth century to control the movement of goods into the capital. Tax collectors waited here to charge duties on incoming produce and wine. It remains a busy crossroads where the city's old defensive boundary faded into modern sprawl.