La Roquette Prison

Once stood Rue de la Roquette’s La Roquette prison, remembered now only by five stones and a memorial plaque marking its site. Opened in 1830, it initially housed young communists and operated under a harsh system. In 1851, a guillotine was installed and nearly 70 executions by decapitation were carried out over the years, often targeting political prisoners and women.

The prison became notorious for its severity and is historically linked to the women’s suffrage movements in France and the UK. In 1900, La Roquette was demolished and transformed into public space. All that remains are five stones marking the old guillotine’s location and a modest monument that remembers the site’s social impact in Paris.