Gare Montparnasse
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Paris Montparnasse is one of the six large terminus railway stations of Paris, located in the Montparnasse area in the XIVe arrondissement. The station was opened in 1840, and rebuilt completely in 1969. A steam train crashed through the station in 1895; there is a well-known photograph of the event, and full scale reproductions outside a museum chain in South America.
The station is used for the intercity TGV trains to destinations in the west and south-west of France including Tours, Bordeaux, Rennes and Nantes. Additionally, it is served by several suburban and regional services on the Transilien Paris – Montparnasse routes. There is also a metro station.
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History
The original station opened in 1840, and was named Gare de l'Ouest, before later being renamed. A second station was built between 1848 and 1852.
On 25 August 1944, the German military governor of Paris, General von Choltitz, surrendered his garrison to the French General Philippe Leclerc at the old train station, after disobeying Adolf Hitler's direct order to destroy the city (see Liberation of Paris).
During the 1960s, a newer station integrated into a complex of office buildings was built. In 1969, the old station was torn down and the Tour Montparnasse built on its spot. An extension was built in 1990 to host the TGV Atlantique.
1895 derailment
The Gare Montparnasse became famous for a derailment on 22 October 1895 of the Granville-Paris Express that overran the buffer stop.
Lines serving this station
Adjacent metro station:
Nearby station:
Travelling between the Gare Montparnasse and other Paris main line stations
- Gare du Nord and Gare de l'Est: take Métro Line 4
- Gare Saint-Lazare: take Métro Line 12 or 13 (line 13 is better since there are less corridors to cross).
- Gare de Lyon and Gare d'Austerlitz: take bus 91
See also
- Transportation in France
- List of stations of the Paris RER
- List of stations of the Paris Métro
- Gare d'Austerlitz
- Gare de l'Est
- Gare de Lyon
- Gare du Nord
- Gare Saint-Lazare
