Faubourg
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Faubourg is an ancient French term approximating "suburb". It is itself a derivative of Forsbourg, a descendant of Latin "foris" (out of) "burgum" (town or city). Traditionally, and especially for Paris, this name was given to an agglomeration forming around a throughway leading outwards from a city gate, and usually took the name of the same thoroughfare within the city. Thus the rue Saint-Dénis within Paris' walls gave birth to the faubourg Saint-Dénis without.
Many Parisian streets have retained their ancient denomination in spite of city growth; today it is still possible to discern pre-1860 delimitations in Paris by marking the point where a thoroughfare's name changes from "rue de..." to "rue du faubourg de...". Most remarkable examples are the rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré and the above rue du Faubourg Saint-Dénis.
