Café Voltaire
| Company type | Café and restaurant |
|---|---|
| Industry | Hospitality |
| Founded | early 1800s |
| Defunct | mid-1900s |
| Fate | Acquired by Groupe Flammarion in 1956 |
| Successor | Groupe Flammarion (Flammarion Editions) |
| Headquarters | Paris , France |
Area served | Paris, France |
Key people | Gache (manager until 1826), Ronquier (manager before 1850) |
| Products | Food and beverages |
Café Voltaire, named in honor of the philosopher and writer Voltaire, was a notable café and restaurant situated on the Place de l'Odéon in Paris's 6th arrondissement. Functioning from the early 1800s until the mid-1900s, it served as a prominent meeting place for artists and university students. Today, the location is occupied by the literature division of the publishing firm Groupe Flammarion (''Flammarion Editions'').
Right-bank location
Historical documents from approximately 1790 to 1794 reveal the existence of a Café Voltaire on Paris's right bank, specifically on Cours Saint-Martin, close to the gate bearing the same name.
Left-bank venue
The left-bank iteration of Café Voltaire was positioned next to the former home of Lucile Desmoulins and Camille Desmoulins, where they were detained in 1793. The area known as Place de l'Odéon was later renamed Rue Casimir-Delavigne. Following the collapse of the First French Empire, this establishment took on the Café Voltaire name and was managed by Gache at least until 1826.
Among its distinguished guests was Eugène Delacroix, who dined there in 1824; the café also appears in Balzac's 1837 work Les Martyrs ignorés. Together with Café Racine and Café Molière, it functioned as a central hub for students from the Sorbonne.
Depicted by Charles Philipon circa 1842, the café featured a terrace, mezzanine, two upper stories, and a billiard table lauded by Victor Hugo in Les Misérables. Prior to 1850, management was under Ronquier, and the venue was known for spirited debates connected to the nearby theatre. In 1855, it expanded by incorporating Madame Grassot's reading room. By the conclusion of the Second Empire, regular visitors included personalities such as Léon Gambetta and Jules Vallès.
By 1880, Café Voltaire attracted senators and leading literary figures; debts were recorded from Paul Verlaine, while patrons included André Gide, Jean Moréas, Anatole France, Alfred Vallette, and Rachilde. It became a focal point for Symbolist poets with attendees like Paul Gauguin and Stéphane Mallarmé. The café also served as a meeting place for Paris's branch of the Félibrige. In 1894, student groups organized gatherings there for the Mi-Carême festival procession.
During the 1920s, Café Voltaire drew members of the American Lost Generation.
Acquisition by Groupe Flammarion
In 1956, ownership of the café transferred to Groupe Flammarion (Flammarion Editions). A commemorative Panel Histoire de Paris marks the site of Café Voltaire.