Porte des Lilas (Paris Métro)

Porte des Lilas is a station of the Paris Métro. It serves Line 11 and is the northern terminus of Line 3bis.

The station was opened on 27 November 1921 when Line 3 was extended from Gambetta to Porte des Lilas. The line 11 platforms opened as part of the original section of the line from Châtelet. It was the eastern terminus of the line until it was extended to Mairie des Lilas on 17 February 1937. On 27 March 1971 the line 3 platforms were transferred to Line 3bis on its establishment. The station is named after the Porte des Lilas, a gate in the nineteenth century Thiers Wall of Paris, which led to the town of Les Lilas.

The station was referred to in Serge Gainsbourgs famous 1958 chanson Le poinçonneur des Lilas about the ennui of a Métro employee's workday. A Scopitone music video for the song was filmed in Porte des Lilas, showing the singer in a Métro uniform, punching tickets.^[1]

The station was also used for a brief scene in Julie & Julia with Meryl Streep.

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References

1. ^ Serge Gainsbourg Article on Forum des Images, February 2003 (in French)