Fulgence Bienvenüe
Fulgence Bienvenüe | |
---|---|
École nationale des ponts et chaussées | |
Occupation | Engineer |
Known for | Father of the Paris Métro |
Fulgence Bienvenüe (French pronunciation: [fylʒɑ̃s bjɛ̃v(ə)ny]; 27 January 1852 – 3 August 1936) was a French civil engineer, best known for his role in the construction of the Paris Métro, and has been called "Le Père du Métro" (Father of the Metro).[1]: 162
A native of
In 1886, Bienvenüe moved on to
Paris city officials selected Bienvenüe to become chief engineer for the Paris Métro in 1896. He designed a special way of building new tunnels which allowed the swift repaving of the roads above; this involved (among other things) building the crown of the tunnel first and the floor last, the reverse of the usual method at that time.[1]: 151, 162 Bienvenüe has the credit for the mostly swift and relatively uneventful construction of the Métro through the difficult and heterogenous Parisian soils and rocks.[1]: 150–1, 162 He came up with the idea of freezing wet and unstable soil in order to permit the drilling of tunnels. He was to supervise the Paris Metro construction for more than three decades, finally retiring on 6 December 1932.
Bienvenüe's construction of the Métro was widely praised and has been described admiringly as a work "worthy of the Romans".[1]: 160, 162 He eventually accumulated many honors for his engineering accomplishments, including the Grand Prix Berger of the Academy of Arts and Sciences (1909) and the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor (1929).[1]: 160
On 30 June 1933, the
Bienvenüe was buried in 1936 at the Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris.
Lycée Fulgence Bienvenüe high school in Loudéac, Brittany is named after Bienvenüe.[2]
See also
References
- Bindi, A.; Lefeuvre, D. (1990). Le Métro de Paris: Histoire d'hier à demain (in French). Rennes: Ouest-France. ISBN 2-7373-0204-8.
- ^ ISBN 9780882252995.
- ^ "Lycée Fulgence Bienvenüe de Loudéac". Lycée Fulgence Bienvenüe de Loudéac (in French).
External links
- Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Episode 1 - Fulgence Bienvenüe". YouTube. École polytechnique. 18 December 2018.