Street Talk: Boys Will Be Boys, the Pissoirs of Paris

Gary Lee Kraut — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 14:50:55 +0000

Pissoirs and vespassiennes, the scantily hidden public urinals that so defined the streets, squares and parks of Paris from the late 1830s to the early 1980s, all but disappeared by the 1990s. They were condemned by a sense of public sanitation, public decency and the self-cleaning sanisettes, as well as a denial that boys truly do want to be boys and pee anywhere.

This year celebrates the 30th anniversary of sanisettes, the fully enclosed individual street toilettes. Until 2006 they were entered for a fee but are since free. This is a photo of the latest generation, whose installation began in 2009.

A list of where the 400 sanisettes of Paris are found along with other toilet-related information is found here, in case you find yourself walking around with a hand-held. There’s probably also a Where to Piss in Paris app out there somewhere.

Boys, however, will still be boys, so we can all applaud the comeback of the pissoir this summer, more shameless than ever.

Here’s one on the cobblestone banks for Canal Saint Martin in the 10th arrondissement.

They are clearly not designed for girls, who are better at ducking into a crowded café with a quick smile and an eye for the WC.

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toilets and sanitation – France Revisited - Life in Paris, Travel in France

Street Talk: Boys Will Be Boys, the Pissoirs of Paris