Cremerie de Paris History & Timeline:

Unique Hotspot in the heart of Paris
glamorous since almost 900 years ..


Through a long period of time
Cremerie de Paris
has been a connection point
of many different stories
connection a multitude of historic people,
in the Kingdom of France
in the second Empire
and in modern times:
writers, inventors, designers, musician
and brand builders.


The only expo location in the World
to have a Two Letter Domain,
an internet adress which stands out
on any western computer or phone keybord.



A lot of things have happened ...


12th century


1129 around erection of an old house in Paris
called "Hotel de la Chasse".
it is located near the church of Saint Opportune
facing rue de la Ferronnerie
200 m north of the river Seine

1129 First records of Marquardus de Sulmese in the monastery of Schillenberg
located near Giessen, 493,55 km east of Cremerie de Paris.

1137 King Louis VI (1081 - 1137) transfers the Paris foodmarket
to the "Champeaux"
in between rue Saint Honore and rue Saint Denis


map showing Paris around 1150
during the reign of King Louis VII (1120 - 1180)
enlarge the 1150 map of Paris

1163 Beginning of the construction of the cathedral Notre Dame
800 m south-east of Cremerie de Paris
under the Bishop Maurice de Sully.

1181 King Philippe Auguste (1165 - 1223)
creats the first market constructions build in wood.

1190 -1202 construction of the first version of the Louvre


13th century


1286 Philippe le Bel (1268 - 1314) becomes
the 11th Captetien King of France

1290 Omodeo Tasso (1245 est - 1309) organises
a postal service in the North of Italy.



a map of France drawn under the reign of Philippe le Bel
already shows VB,
located between rue des Déschargeurs and rue des Bourgonnais
as well as the Louvre and Nostre Dame
enlarge the map of Paris



14th century
1345 Construction of the Cathedral Notre Dame completed


Arrival of the Villeroys
later VB


1370 The Neufville family, later called Neufville de Villeroy
settles at the "Hotel de la Chasse"
which will become the Hotel de Villeroy
Richard Neufville (1350 - 1401) is a food merchant at the market.



15th century

1483 birth of Nicolas I de Neufville (1483 - 1542),
grandson of Richard Neufville
enters the administration in the Kingdom of France.

1542 Nicolas II de Neufville inherits the House

1492 birth in Angouleme of Margueritte de Navarre (1492 - 1549)
later called "grandmother of the Bourbons".




16th century


1540s Margueritte de Navarre,
comes the the Hotel de Villeroy
to meet for litterature discussions
with Nicolas II de Neufville (?? - 1553)
and his son Nicolas III de Neufville de Villeroy (1525 - 1598)

Marguerite is the mother of Jeanne d'Albret,
the mother of Henri de Bourbon, futur King Henri IV

Marguerite is a renaissance writer
and a patron for many artists
like Leonardo da Vinci (1452 - 1519)

1549 death of Marguerite de Navarre
468 later opens
the main Paris subway exit "Marguerite de Navarre"
located right in front of VB
and named in her honor.


1542 birth of Nicolas IV de Villeroy

1546 birth of the writer Madeleine de l'Aubespine (1546 - 1596)
daughter of Claude II de l Aubespine (1510 - 1567),
secretary of King Francois I

1553 birth in Pau of Henri de Bourbon, later King Henri IV (1553 - 1610)


1559 Nicolas IV de Villeroy becomes
an advisor of Catherine de Medicis

1561 marriage of Nicolas IV de Villeroy and Madeleine de l'Aubépine.
The house gets enlarged in the direction of the
rue des Dechargeurs and becomes
one of the most glamorous places in Paris.


Madeleine de l'Aubespine, dame de Villeroy (1546 - 1596)
is a renaissance writer. She creates un "salon littéraire"
at her Paris home, the Hotel de Villeroy
and her countryside castle in Mennecy (south of Paris)

One day a Lady from the Louvre by
and told us about

With Pierre de Ronsard (1524 - 1585)
and Queen Catherine de Medici (1519 - 1589)
Madeleine organise reunions with other Playade writers.



1589 Henri IV becomes the first Bourbon King of France.



1594 Nicolas IV de Villeroy becomes minister of foreign affairs.
A guestroom at the Hotel de Villeroy is dedicated to the King
so that he can stay over at night.

1598 birth of Nicolas V de Villeroy, grandson of Nicolas IV
Nicolas V de Villeroy grows up at the court of the future King Louis XIII.


17th century
1610 King Henri IV killed by Ravaillac on rue de la Ferronnerie
1610 Louis XIII becomes the 2nd Bourbon King of France


1617 Nicolas IV de Villeroy dies
and leaves the Hotel de Villeroy to his grandson Nicolas V de Villeroy

1638 birth of Louis XIV



1640 Nicolas V de Villeroy tears down the old Hotel de Villeroy mansion
inherited by his grandfather Nicolas IV de Villeroy and
builds the present mansion.


1643 child Louis XIV becomes the 3rd Bourbon King of France
1646 Nicolas V de Villeroy becomes the tutor of the seven year old Louis XIV
The Hotel de Villeroy, now called Hotel de Villeroy Bourbon, or just VB
his elementary school
where Louis XIV is educated with his brother Philippe d'Orleans
and the children of his teacher
Francois de Villeroy and Catherine de Villeroy.

more about the links between VB & Louis XIV



1647 The drawing shows the gate of VB,
the Hotel de Villeroy Bourbon
with young Louis XIV, the photo the same gate
as it looks today.


There is a magical view from the street
through Cremerie de Paris N°1
right into the historic courtyard.
From time to time the view is open
and you have a view into centuries of history ...


1648 start of the construction of the Pavillon des Drapiers,
located next door at 11 rue des Dechargeurs.
Child Louis XIV, going to scholl next door,
watches the house beeing build.


1670 preparing the future Chateau de Versailles
Louis XIV invites the Villeroy children to live with him at the palace.

1671 january 21 sale of the Hotel de Villeroy de Bourbon
that had been in the family for 300 years ...

End of a story
the first VB story








Start of a Telecom Adventure

Leon Pajot (1625 - 1668) and Louis Rouille (1630 - 1694),
entrepreneurs in the transport business from Tours buy the house.
At the VB mansion they create a company tha transports mail,
They call it "La Poste"

The Royal French Postal Services is a private company
owned by the Pajot & Rouillé.
The Kingdom of France receives une "ferme"
a rental payment in exchange of the postal license.

The children of the two company founders marry
and continue the business in the next generation.

1678 birth of Louis Leon Pajot (1678 - 1754)
common grandson of the company founders.

1682 May 6 opening of the Versailles Palace
after years of construction.



18th century



1708 Louis Leon Pajot becomes
the president of La Poste.

Pajot is a brilliant scientist and turns
the Pajot & Rouille company into one
of Europe's most prosperous businesses .


1710 When a letter was really important for Louis XIV
he did not trust his environment and he prefered to give it
to Louis Leon Pajot in person.
Either Louis Leon Pajot went to Versailles
or the Sunking came to VB at rue des Dechargeurs
he knew since he has a child.


1715 death of Louis XIV
In his will Louis XIV designates his childhood friend
Francois de Villeroy to become the tutor
of Louis XV, his great grandson anf the 4th Bourbon King of France.



1718 above painting shows young King Louis XV
with his tutor Francois de Villeroy and the regent Philippe II d'Orleans.



1720s Louis Leon Pajot controls 900 Post Relais
located all over France governed by the Bourbons.
When a letter needs to be send to another country
he needs a Mail exchange partner.




Anselm Franz, 2nd Prince of Thurn & Taxis (1681 - 1739)
is the main mail exchange partner.
He is the general Postmaster of the Thurn & Taxis post,
also a family owned company founded
by his ancestors in the Italian Alps in 1290.
Thurn & Taxis is based in Brussels and Franfurt
and has a network of about 3.000 Post Relais

more about the links between VB & Thurn & Taxis



La Poste located between rue des Déchargeurs
and rue des Bourdonnais turns into a major communication hotspot.
Uncountable letters of historic value transit through VB.

Louis Leon enjoys recognition for his outstanding
collection of mesuring instruments.

Foreign visitors like Tsar Peter the Grand
the sultans of Turkey,
Stanislas Leszczynski, King of Poland (1677 - 1766),
the sultans of Morocco
all come to VB to visit Louis Leon Pajot
and to see his collection.


Princess de Gallifet Martigues,
the wife of Pajot organises parties
that are so glamorous that they outshine everybody else.

Growing up Louis XV gets more and more
irritated by the glamour of VB.

1738 may 21 he withdraws the postal license
The Prefet de Police is asked
to shut down the postal company.
As the King has absolute powers he can do what he wants
without even making a compensation payment.


End of a story,
the first Telecom Story


Over time the story of La Poste at VB is forgotten in Paris
but in remains in the memory of the Thurn & Taxis.
The story of La Poste at the VB mansion is transmitted
from one generation, so that the young Thurn & Taxis
watch out no King will take away their company.

The Thurn & Taxis can keep their company 129 longer until
1867 when the State of Prussia forces them to sell.
As times have changed Prussia needs to make
a compensation payment of 3 million
and one day a couple of thalers
will return to Paris, but you need to wait for another 119 years ....






Fashion


While the Hotel de Villeroy Bourbon falls asleep
and little is known about what happened after the end of la Post
the nex door building the Pavillon des Drapiers
is full of activity.



It is the corporation of the French people
working in the tissue industry
and representing their interests to the Kings of France.
The image represents the facade of ther Pavillon
just above the entrance of today's Cremerie de Paris N°1


1755 nov 2 is born in Vienna
a girl that will soon bring new life into to VB story,
The youngest daughter of Maria Theresa of Austria
is called Marie Antoinette.

1770 may 14 year old Marie Antoinette
marries Louis Auguste Bourbon, the grandson of Louis XV



1774 may 10 dies at Versailles King Louis XV,
36 years after he had destroyed of our postal company.

Louis XIV (1754 - 1793) becomes the 5th Bourbon King of France,
Marie Antoinette the Queen of France.




1780s Marie Antoinette has a passion for fashion.
She loves to come to the Pavillon des Drapiers next to VB
to assist reunions
and to meet young fashion designers.


1793 French Revolution Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette
but also most of the descendants of the Villeroy familly are killed.
Most of the documents related to "La Poste"
dissapear.
The Pavillon continues to exist,
but it looses it's importance



End of a story,
the first Fashion Story


19th century


Two inventions prepare
a magical impact
on VB / Cremerie de Paris



1876 february 14 Alexander Bell (1847 - 1922)
a scientist from Boston, USA
invents the phone
soon creating a need for Phone Books.

When the first phones arrive in Paris two years later
nobody can imagine that - over a century later -
VB, the abandoned former seat
of the Royal French Postal Services
will one day become the center
of the Phone Book of the World

more about the links between VB & Alexander Bell




1878 August 27 Christopher Sholes (1819 - 1890)
a printer and newspaper editor from Milwaukee, USA
invents the keybord for typewriters
Deciding to place the letters V and B
right to each other
he gives "VB" a magical communication
tool for the future.
Very vew "brand names" can intstantly ready
when looking at a keybord

When the keybord for typewriters are invented
noboday can imagine that over a century later
the same keybord will be on
billions of phones and computers
giving even more importance to
spectacular webadresses.












1883 august 19 birth of Coco Chanel in Samur
the designer will play a key role in the history of VB / Cremerie de Paris
1920
more about the links between VB & Coco Chanel











20th century

1987 opening of a small Sony Phone Boutique


1993 the little jewel left by Coco Chanel
makes it possible to aquire the legendary
Cremerie de Paris N°1


21th century


2012 Nike is the first brand
to open a Pop Up Store, the Nike Barbershop