Rue d'Uzès: The Oldest Duchy in France, the Press District and a Street of Quiet Aristocratic Memory
Rue d'Uzès is one of the most quietly aristocratic street names in the 2nd arrondissement — carrying the title of the Duchy of Uzès, the oldest duchy in France, whose illustrious history stretches from the eleventh century to the present day and whose holders have included some of the most significant figures in French noble and political history. The street runs east to west through the press and financial district of the arrondissement, connecting the Rue du Faubourg Poissonnière in the west to the Rue Montmartre and the Sentier district in the east, forming a secondary commercial artery through a neighbourhood more commonly associated with newspaper offices and textile showrooms.
The Duchy of Uzès takes its name from the ancient city of Uzès in the Gard department of southern France, and its dukes have held the distinction since 1572 of being officially the premier duc et pair de France — the first among the dukes of France in order of precedence at the royal court. The connection between this southern French aristocratic title and a press-district street in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris reflects the broader Parisian practice of honouring the great aristocratic families of France in street nomenclature, a practice particularly common in the streets developed on former aristocratic landholdings.
1. The Duchy of Uzès and the Premier Duché de France
The Duchy of Uzès was created in 1565 by Charles IX, with the family of Crussol elevated to ducal rank in recognition of their military service and their long regional prominence in the south of France. In 1572, the duchy received the formal distinction of being the premier duché-pairie de France — first in precedence among all the duchies of France — a title that gave the Dukes of Uzès a position of ceremonial pre-eminence at the royal court unmatched by any other ducal family.
The family's history includes several remarkable women, most notably Anne de Mortemart, Duchess of Uzès, who in 1897 became the first woman in France to obtain a driving licence — a detail that connects the ancient aristocratic title to the very modern world of the automobile and gives the Uzès family an unexpected place in the history of French modernity.
The family has maintained an unbroken ducal lineage to the present day — one of the very few French ducal families to have survived the Revolution, the Empire and the subsequent political convulsions that eliminated most of the Ancien Régime nobility — making the Duchy of Uzès a living institution rather than a historical memory.
2. The Press District Setting
Rue d'Uzès runs through the historical press district of the 2nd arrondissement, the zone around Rue Montmartre and Rue du Sentier where the major French newspapers and press organisations concentrated their offices and printing operations in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
This press district identity gives the street a particular intellectual and professional character, reflecting the presence of journalists, editors and communications professionals who historically populated the neighbourhood. The tradition of press and media activity in the surrounding streets persists in the presence of media companies, digital publishers and communications firms that continue to occupy premises in the Uzès neighbourhood.
3. Urban Context
Rue d'Uzès runs from the Rue du Faubourg Poissonnière in the west to the Rue Montmartre in the east, traversing the northern section of the press district. The street is served by the Bonne-Nouvelle metro station.
4. Architectural Character
The architecture of Rue d'Uzès reflects the press and commercial character of the northern 2nd arrondissement. Haussmann-era buildings of five to six storeys with maintained limestone facades define the streetscape, with ground floors reflecting the varied commercial character of a secondary press-district artery.
5. The Residential Market
The residential market on Rue d'Uzès serves buyers drawn by the press district heritage, the Grands Boulevards proximity and the discreet aristocratic resonance of the street name:
- buyers attracted by the aristocratic history of the Uzès title and the street's connection to premier ducal heritage
- media and communications professionals drawn by the press district neighbourhood
- investors in a street with consistent central Paris residential demand
- buyers who value the combination of institutional dignity and relatively accessible price points
6. Property Prices
Property values on Rue d'Uzès reflect the northern 2nd arrondissement press district setting:
- €13,000 to €16,500 per m² for standard apartments
- €16,500 to €21,000 per m² for renovated properties with quality finishes
- €21,000 per m² and above for exceptional units
Rue d'Uzès carries in its name the oldest ducal title in France — a connection to an aristocratic lineage that has endured through revolution, empire and republic while its Parisian street continues to serve the press, commerce and residential life of the 2nd arrondissement. In a district defined by the working world of newspapers and textile showrooms, the name of France's premier duchy adds a note of ancient nobility that is entirely at odds with its surroundings — and entirely consistent with the layered historical character of Paris.