THE VIRTUAL WINE MUSEUM - LE MUSÉE VIRTUEL DU VIN

Today’s Port du Louvre has had many different names over the centuries. This port, which existed as early as 1292 under the name “Port du Louvre”, was first located at Rue de l’Arbre-Sec, near the Pont-Neuf bridge. In 1501, it was dubbed “Port aux Passeurs” [Ferrymen’s Port] because of the ferry service which had been created in front of the Hôtel de Bourbon after the collapse of Notre-Dame on 25 October 1499, when the Seine had burst its banks. In 1564, it was renamed “Port de Bourbon” for its proximity to the Hôtel de Bourbon; then, in 1586, it became “Port de l’Arche-d’Autriche” for its proximity to the Rue d’Autriche. 

Next came the name “Port Saint-Nicolas”. It was a very important “sea port” with a steady stream of boats arriving directly from London, and displays of all the merchandise loaded and unloaded daily: pipes, pottery, wheat, fodder, porcelain, sugar, metalwork, items from Paris, barrels and so on. All of this activity unfolded under the watchful eye of customs officers, whose offices, sitting on the port itself, were built into the supporting wall of the Quai du Louvre. In 1905, the area returned to its original name: Port du Louvre.