Square d'Anvers - Jean-Claude-Carrière

The ground beneath your feet at the Square d Anvers originally held the Montmartre abattoirs, which were unpleasant, odorous sites created by Napoleon the First. These slaughterhouses were cleared away in the mid nineteenth century to make room for urban development under the direction of Georges-Eugene Haussmann. The square that replaced them opened in 1877 as a public garden designed by the architect Jean-Camille Formige, who served under the legendary engineer Adolphe Alphand. This transformation turned a grim industrial zone into a shaded green space for residents of the ninth arrondissement. Continue