The story
As you walk along this elegant, curving sweep of road, you might notice how it feels more like a balcony than a typical city street. To your side, the land dips away toward the railway tracks and the green expanse of Josaphat Park, giving the air here a sense of openness. You are standing on Avenue Paul Deschanel, a name that belongs to one of the most curious and poignant figures in the history of the French Republic.
While the name sounds quintessentially French, the man himself was a child of this very neighborhood. Paul Deschanel was born in Schaerbeek in 1855. At the time, his father, Émile Deschanel, was living here in exile, having been banished from France by Napoleon III. This street exists because the people of Brussels wanted to honor a local boy who went on to achieve the highest office possible across the border. In 1920, Paul Deschanel was elected the eleventh President of the French Republic.
However, his story is often remembered for a single, surreal night. Just a few months into his presidency, Paul was traveling on a midnight express train. In a state of disorientation brought on by exhaustion and illness, he climbed out of his cabin window while the train was still moving. The story goes that a track worker found a man wandering the rails in his pajamas, claiming to be the President of France. The worker, understandably skeptical, replied that he was the Emperor of the Sahara.
This moment of vulnerability eventually led to Paul’s resignation, but here in Brussels, the street named for him focuses on the grandeur of his rise rather than the tragedy of his fall. As you walk, look at the buildings around you. This avenue was developed in the early twentieth century, and it is a showcase of the era’s architectural confidence. You will see a parade of Art Deco and Beaux-Arts facades, with their intricate ironwork and bay windows designed to catch the afternoon sun. It is a prestigious stretch that connects the bustling Place des Bienfaiteurs to the park, serving as a bridge between the dense urban heart of Schaerbeek and its leafy outskirts.
The street doesn't run in a straight line; it follows the natural curve of the valley, a choice made by urban planners to emphasize the view. Before you reach the end of the block, pause for a moment by the railing overlooking the tracks. Look down at the way the modern trains cut through the deep, green ravine. It is a reminder of the speed of the world that eventually overwhelmed the man whose name is etched on the blue signs above you. Today, the avenue is much calmer than the life he led—a place for a quiet stroll between the trees and the stone.