1671 1708 1715 1717 1738
1876 1881 1921 1938
1986 1987 1989 1991
1993 1994 1997 1999 2000 2003
2011 2012 2020 2022

1370
The Villeroys settle in Paris
near the Louvre


Over a long period of time
the Villeroys,
merchands at the Les Halles food market
make a career in the Kingdom of France.
They become advisers of the Kings,
their house turns into a Royal Hotspot.

Marguerite de Navarre (1492 - 1549),
a Renaissance writer
and friend of Leonardo da Vinci
comes to the house for Litterature Meetings

1594
Henri IV (grandson of Marguerite)
becomes the first Bourbon King of France
Nicolas IV de Villeroy (1542 - 1617) is his minister and adviser.

1617 Nicolas V de Villeroy (1598 - 1685)
inherits the mansion from his grandfather Nicolas IV

1640 the first Hotel de Villeroy is is replaced
by the present Hotel de Villeroy Bourbon VB


1646
1646 Nicolas V de Villeroy
becomes the teacher of the 3rd Bourbon King,
a young boy called Louis XIV
(grandson of Henri IV)


The young King spends part of his childhood at the VB mansion
with the Villeroy children Catherine (1639 - 1707)
and Francois (1644 - 1730)

Young Louis XIV in front of the still existing VB Gate
The window next to the King still exist.
When you come to Paris, have a look through it.
Sometimes it is decorated by iconic Pop Up Stores.

Sometime you can see our historical courtyard in the background
almost unchanged since the time of the young King.

1370 1646 1671 1694 1708 1715 1717 1738 1876 1881 1938 1986 1987 1989 1991 1993 1994 1997 1999 2000 2003 2011 2012 2020 2022

1671
VB turns into
a technology hotspot
Louis XIV has grown up.
He plans the construction
of the future Versailles Palace.
He invites his childhood friends Catherine and Francois de Villeroy
to live with him in the future castle.


1671 January 21 two shipping entrepreneurs from city of Tours
Leon Pajot I (1625est - 1668) and Louis Rouille (1630 - 1694)
buy the old VB mansion in the heart of Paris.

La Poste
They call their new company is La Poste.
They have the project to create a Telecom network
all over France under control of the Burbons
similar to what the Thurn & Taxis
had done in the Habsburg territories.

The father of Leon Pajot, Nicolas Pajot (1580est - 1640)
and the father of Louis Rouillé, Pierre Rouillé (1593-1657)
were already in the transport business
which they operated from the city of Tours.
They helped to finance the aquisition of VB.


The map shows VB, the still existing Postal Building
going from 9-11 Rue des Dechargeurs
to 34 Rue des Bourdonnais.
(Today's Rue des Halles and Rue de Rivoli
were constructed two centuries later.)

In the red cercle Cremerie de Paris,
the place were Phone Book of the World
was invented 329 years and 4 days later.


1677
The son of Louis Pajot I,
Louis Pajot II (1647 - 1708)
and the daughter of Leon Rouillé,
Marie Anne Rouillé (1659-1694)
married
to continue the Postal Business.


1682


After years of construction
the Versailles Palace is completed
1682 May 6 is the official opening date

1694
Louis Pajot II becomes the next "Maitre des Postes"
He runs the Pajot Rouille Post in the second generation

The two families Pajot and Rouillé
connect all their children, sons, daughters, sons in law,
grand-children and cousins
to work at their Postal Company.

1370 1646 1671 1694 1708 1715 1717 1738 1876 1881 1938 1986 1987 1989 1991 1993 1994 1997 1999 2000 2003 2011 2012 2020 2022

1708
Louis Leon Pajot ...
Extending "La Poste"



Louis Leon Pajot (1678 - 1754) was the common grandson
of both company founders
Louis I Pajot and Leon Rouillé.

The boy was very bright.
Not of good physical condition
he spend his childhoon with books.
Educated by the Jesuits he was very interested by science.
Travelling to the Netherlands
he met some of the most recognised scientist of their time:
Hughens, Ruysch, Boerhaave …

Upon the death of his father Louis Leon Pajot
became "Postmaster General"
and was in charge of the Pajot & Rouilé company.

His six brothers and two sisters
Alexandre, Pierre Maximilian,
Jean Baptiste, Antoine
Anne Marie, Marie Anna and Francois
were also part of the avant garde Telecom company.

In some way they are the ancestors
of the Phone Book of the World


Louis Leon Pajot and his brother Christophe Alexandre Pajot
brought the Pajot & Rouillé company
to a network of 900 post relais,
the most southern ones were located in Venice and Rome.
The "technology heart"
was the Cremerie de Paris
on the rue des Dechargeurs side
of VB, the Hotel de Villeroy Bourbon.

For international mail
a lot of negociations were necessary
to redistribute the postal fees between different operators.

This was the journey between Paris and Venice. Horses were changed at the 62 below mentioned Relais de Poste departure Cremerie de Paris / VB Mansion / Pajot & Rouillé 9 rue des Déchargeurs Paris > Postal Route < Bondy Vileparisis Fresne Meaux Saint Jean les Deux Jumeaux La Ferte sous Jourre Charly Chateau Thierry Saint Mugni Porte à Buison Epernay Plivot Jalon Chalons en Champagne Chepy La Chaussée sur Marne Vitry le François Gay Saint Dizier Aulrois en Perthois Ligny en Barrois Sant Ambin Void Lay Toul Velemu Nancy Basel Baden Torre Zurich Medolf Smarich Weesen Walenstadt Sarganz Bad Ragaz Chur Churwalden Lenzerheide Bergruen Albula Pont Camoas Pontresina Bernina Poschiavo Tirano Aprica Edolo Breno Pisogne Iseo Brescia Desenzano Ponte San Marco Castelnuovo Verona Scaldere Monte Bello Vicz-enza Padova Fusina arrival Venice (does anybody know the precise location of the Pajot Rouillet postcenter in Venice ?)

When Louis XIV (1638 - 1715) had an important letter
he was not trusting anybody in his environment
and he insisted to give the document to Louis Leon Pajot in person.

According to Johannes Thurn & Taxis
Louis XIV liked to visit the old VB mansion / Cremerie de Paris
he knew from his childhood.
If the King was not feeling well Louis Leon Pajot
had to come see him at the chateau de Versailles.

1715

1715 September 1 Death of Louis XIV
great grandson, the five year old Louis XV
becomes the 4th Bourbon King

Francois de Villeroy, who grew up at the VB mansion
and who was a childhood friend of Louis XIV
becomes the tutor of young Louis XV

Cardinal Fleury is now in charge of the relations
between the King and the Royal Postal services
operated by the Pagot & Rouille family

1717
The hi-tech know how of Louis Leon Pagot was reputated.
When important people came to visit Paris
they wanted to see him and admire
his "collection des instruments de mesure"
(Collection of scientific instruments)

One of the visitors was Tsar Peter the Great
who met with Louis Leon Pajot 1717 march 25
Fascinated by Pajot they started a correspondance.
CNRS article about the Tsar interested in science mentioning the visit of Pajot

The above painting shows Peter the Great
with the young King Louis XV
the cardinal Fleury
and Francois de Villeroy
date of the meeting 1717 mai 10

Francois de Villeroy grew up at the Postal mansion,
the Hotel de Villeroy Bourbon VB,
befor the time of La Poste.
VB once owned by his father
and his ancestors before him.

Cardinal Fleury would later influence Louis XV
to end the activities of the VB mansion.


Other visitors were
Maximilian Emmanuel of Bavaria (1662-1726)
Stanislas Leszczynski, King of Poland (1677 - 1766)
Charles de Lorraine (1712 - 1780)
and many more historic people visiting Paris
and thus discovering the home of the
Phone Book of the World
long before the invention of the Telephone.

The youngest visitor was probably King Louis XV
who needed some help to study maths.



signature of Louis Leon Pajot
on a letter from 1725.
Louis Leon Pajot was also called
Comte Donsenbray (Ons-en-Bray)
(Count Donsenbray)

Louis Leon Pajot was married to Princess de Galliffet Martigues.



VB, Hotel de Villeroy Bourbon was full of masterpieces
according to the legend even a David by Michelangelo
was there at some time.
The sculpture was lost and nobody knows what has happened.
In case you do please contact the Phone Book of the World
(mail b "at vb.com) ...




The Postal building (VB mansion) around 1736,
drawing from the plan Turgot.

1370 1646 1671 1694 1708 1715 1717 1738 1876 1881 1938 1986 1987 1989 1991 1993 1994 1997 1999 2000 2003 2011 2012 2020 2022

Need of a Post exchange partner
outside the Pajot Rouille network
(covering France in the hands of the Bourbons)
Thurn & Taxis,
postmasters
in the European territories
under control of the Habsburgs


Anselm Franz
2nd Prince of Thurn & Taxis (1681 - 1740)
lived both in Brussels and Frankfurt


Thurn & Taxis operated
from the Thurn & Taxis Palais in Brussels
and from a newly constructed Palace in Frankfurt.

Their postal territory went from
the Dutch Netherlands to Germany, Austria
and Italy as well.
These countries were governed by the Habsburgs.
But there was nothing in France governed by the Bourbons.

Louis Leon Pajot needed Anselm Franz von Thurn & Taxis
and Thurn & Taxis needed Pajot
as mail exchange partners.
Their postal networks were not the same.


Anselm Franz von Thurn & Taxis and Louis Leon Pajot
were using horses
and their post relais to carry mail through their respective
postal networks in Europe.


Cremerie de Paris N°1, the home of the Phone Book of the World
was their connection point.

1370 1646 1671 1694 1708 1715 1717 1738 1876 1881 1938 1986 1987 1989 1991 1993 1994 1997 1999 2000 2003 2011 2012 2020 2022

1738 A Story that left ...
End of "La Poste" by Pajot & Rouille

The postal service was so successful
the two families Pajot & Rouille became very wealthy.
Hotel de Villeroy Bourbon,
also called VB
or Hotel de la Poste
was one of the most elegant houses in Paris.

The Pajot & Rouille had become
one of the richest families in France
and their house was full of
pieces of art
and scientific instruments.

The wife of Louis Leon Pajot
la Comtesse d’Ons-en-Bray,
born Princess de Gallifat-Martigues
loved to give glamorous cocktail parties.
Everybody wanted to be invited at the "Cremerie de Paris"
or to their no longer existing country house at Bercy
(sadly the house and gardens of Bercy have been replaced
by the TGV rail tracks
connection Gare de Lyon to southern France)




After the death of Louis XIV
King Louis XV (1710 - 1774)
became King of France.

Growing up he and his Minister of Finance Cardlinal Fleury
became more and more jealous
of the succes of "La Poste".

Louis XV had no control over the Thurn & Taxis
but being the King of France
with absolute powers
he had control over the Pajot et Rouillé family.

1738
1738 Mai 21 Louis XV withdraw the post license.
Under orders from the cardinal Fleury,
the prefet de police came in the early morning of that day
to make an end to the Pagot & Rouille postal empire.

Unlike Nicolas Fouquet who also created feelings of jealousy
because of the splendors of his château Vaux le Vicomte
the Pajot et Rouillé were not imprisonned.
They only lost their company probably without any compensation payment.

With the French Revolution traces of the family
were completely lost
but Louis Leon's collection
of instruments can be found in many museums,
it's only that in most of thime nobody really knows
that many little treasure come from Pajot.
Little by little, researching their history
Cremerie de Paris finds out more ...
Sometimes Pajot & Rouillé treasures
appear in Sothebys auctions.

Telecom activities of the old VB mansion didn't dissapear, they only fell asleep for a long long time ...

Nethertheless the destiny of the VB mansion
was to
remain a Telecom Hotspot ....

The Thurn & Taxis remembering the story were the transmitting element ....

1370 1646 1671 1694 1708 1715 1717 1738 1876 1881 1938 1986 1987 1989 1991 1993 1994 1997 1999 2000 2003 2011 2012 2020 2022

Remembering the Story
Thurn & Taxis after 1738



Alexander Ferdinand
3rd Prince of Thurn & Taxis (1704 - 1773)
also knew the Pajot Rouille Poste
at the VB mansion / Cremerie de Paris.

The Thurn & Taxis were under shock that the French King Louis XV simply canceled the "Telecom / Postal License" of their partners / rivals the Pajot & Rouille family. They did not want the same to happen to them. The story of the VB mansion (Cremerie de Paris) is transmitted from one generation to another. Karl Anselm 4th Prince of Thurn & Taxis (1733 - 1805) Karl Alexander 5th Prince of Thurn & Taxis (1770 - 1827) Maximilian Karl 6th Prince of Thurn & Taxis (1802 - 1871) and last TT Postmaster 1867 The private Thurn & Taxis post got nationalised but unlike Pajot & Rouille in Paris the state of Prussia had to make a compensation payment of 3.000.000 Thalers 119 years later 1986 a few of these Thalers would finance a small Phone Boutique turning into Phone Book of the World born ia few years later in the old Paris Postal Mansion Helene in Bavaria (1834 - 1890) wife of Maximilian Anton Thurn & Taxis sister of Empress Sissi of Austria (1837 - 1898) Albert 8th Prince of Thurn & Taxis (1867 - 1952) Johannes 11th Prince of Thurn & Taxis (1926 - 1990) knew the stories from his grandfather Albert. Johannes Thurn & Taxis in 1956 more about the Thurn & Taxis Telecom story and it's connection with Phone Book of the World Thurn-Taxis.com

1370 1646 1671 1694 1708 1715 1717 1738 1876 1881 1938 1986 1987 1989 1991 1993 1994 1997 1999 2000 2003 2011 2012 2020 2022

1876 February 14 (Valentine's day)
Alexander Bell invents the phone



Alexander Graham Bell (1847 - 1922)
invented the phone in 1876



1876 February 14 Alexander Bell
registered the patent of the invention of the phone.
It is the patent N° 174.465 confirmed by
US Trademark and Patern Bureau in Washington DC
1876 March 7.

1876 March 10 Alexander Graham Bell
- experimenting at home -
talked into a receiver "Mr Watson, come here, I want you"
finally, after months of testing,
the breakthrough was made ...
The word's the world's first phonecall had just taken place.
Sam Watson was his assistant



1876 Universal Expo in Philadelphia
Bell met Dom Pedro II (1825 - 1891)
once the Emperor of Brazil.
The two man stayed in touch
Over a century later, 1986 / 1993
their friendship would have an impact
on the Cremerie de Paris.


Video about the history of the phone

1878 The Expo Universelle in Paris
shows the phone to the public.
The Expo rewards Alexander Bell with the Grand Prix
together with his rival inventors Thomas Edison
and Elisha Grey.

For the occasion of the expo
a very first telephone network
is installed in Paris.

more about the inventor of the phone
and his connection
with Phone Book of the World
Alexander Bell.com

"La Poste" becomes "PTT"
Postes, Télégraphes et Téléphone
1879 is created the ministry of the Postes et Telegraphes,
the first minister is Adolphe Cochery.
The same year is formed the Société Générale des Téléphones.

more about the French PTT
Whitepages.fr/history

1370 1646 1671 1694 1708 1715 1717 1738 1876 1881 1938 1986 1987 1989 1991 1993 1994 1997 1999 2000 2003 2011 2012 2020 2022

1881 the inventor of the phone
Alexander Bell
comes to Paris.


1881 Bell travels to Paris
to assist to the Exposition d'Electricité
the city now has a network 1.602 phonelines.
At the same expo Siemens presents an electric tramway.


One if the great attractions of Paris was
the beautiful Les Halles foodmarket
imagined by Victor Baltard and Empress Eugenie

The market with his Pavillons Baltard was facing our old Hotel de la Poste
where Cremerie de Paris (red cercle) had opened.

Bell visits Les Halles and was impressed by it's beauty.
He stayed at the Hotel Continental, facing the Tuileries, a 15 walk from les Halles.

Like with Vincent van Gogh
we do not know if he has been
inside Cremerie de Paris N°1
at the time a cheese store at the food market.
The store was very popular
but few people knew about it's Telecom background.

A direct link is left from Alexander Graham Bell ... not a signature in a guestbook not a photograph but a friend we had in common as if it was possible to go beyond the barriers of time ... continue the story

1889 comes out the first Paris Phone Book
shown by Phone Book of the World Webdesigner
Louis Henri Schlumberger



1910s getting older Bell retires in Nova Scotia, Canada
He enjoys the company of many young friends, all inventors.
Bell finances their projects
and is happy to contribute to them.




1921 a grandson of Dom Pedro II of Brazil,
visits Alexander Graham Bell.
In his company a young women that is extremly beautiful,
Aimee de Sotto Maior

During their visit Bell tells
all the "youngsters"
in the house
about his trip to Paris ... a long time ago 1881

The Exposition de l'Electricité where Werner von Siemens
showed him an electric tram,
Gustave Eiffel his Eiffel Tower,
the beautiful Les Halles foodmarket
and
an old Mansion full of fairytales, called VB.


According to history
"horses"
had
once upon a time been the
"telephone cables"
of this fascinating place
transporting "messages" with postal carriages
all around Europe.
The place, a telecom landmark,
was now occupied by a cheese store
called
Cremerie de Paris


Of course all the young inventors
were fascinated by Aimee's look.
Where ever Aimee arrived
she had the effect of a bombshell.

Bell gave her an adwise
she would never forget
"To stay young you need to have young friends"


1922 August 22 Bell died.
During his funeral all téléphone lines
in North America stopped working.
The later grand-father in law
of the beautiful Brazilian girl,
John Wannamaker is among those to carry Bell's coffin.

One of the young inventors, Casey Baldwin,
will stay in touch with Aimee all his life.
20 years later he will become a great connection
for her getting impossible to get contacts in the US.

But what will be the future of the young woman ?
She is not tech saavy enough to become an inventor ...

sharing a friend
with Alexander Graham Bell

Young Aimée Sottomaior,
later called Aimée Lopes de Sotto Major
or Aimée de Heeren
will seventeen years later
1938
come to France
and discover the old postal mansion.

About 35 years after meeting Bell Aimee would become a friend of Johannes Thurn & Taxis, great-great-great-grandson of the old postmasters that had carried mail around Europe. And again 20 years later, 1986 Thurn & Taxis would introduce her to a young student that knew nothing about nothing making him fall right into a history book ... Well having a friend in common with the inventor of the phone helps to reactivate a historic Telecom landmark that had fallen asleep.

Aimees beauty, originality
and her secret agent job made her meet
many of the most important actors
of the entire 20th century,
Vargas, Kennedy, Churchill, Chanel, Aldrin, Trump.

As her age was a secret
nobody knew the list also included
Alexander Graham Bell
and Thomas Edison.

1370 1646 1671 1694 1708 1715 1717 1738 1876 1881 1938 1986 1987 1989 1991 1993 1994 1997 1999 2000 2003 2011 2012 2020 2022

1986 Return of a Story ...
Johannes von Thurn & Taxis
Reactivating
Spirit of Telecommunications


1952 Johannes later 11th Prince of Thurn & Taxis
came in charge of the Thurn & Taxis fortune.

His above mentionned grandfather Albert
was always telling his young grandchildren
Johannes, Anselm, Gabriel Thurn & Taxis and Mathilde von Sachsen
about the fascinating postal adventures of their ancestors.
The picture was taken around 1950.



1986
Johannes came to Paris during fashion week.
The editor of this article,
at the time a young student
was making some extra money working in fashion shows.
This is how he happened to meet
the great-great-great-great-great-great-grandson
of the old postmasters.

Johannes had the most captivating stories
about his ancestor's adventures
operating Postal services ...

almost unbeleivable ...
for a student used to the "PTT",
Postes, Télégraphes et Téléphones
beeing a State owned Monopoly.


1986 May in Paris again
Thurn & Taxis showed the student a fascinating building,
The old Hôtel de Villeroy Bourbon,
the place where his ancestors Anselm Franz
and Alexander Ferdinand
had been 300 years earlier.



It was one of the Telecom hotspots
of the 17th and 18th century
and the only still exisiting major Telecom building
completely unchanged,
even the water fountain for the post horses are still in place.


Johannes Thurn & Taxis was a little astonished
the young student also knew about the exact same building,
but what the student knew were stories
linked to the Les Halles foodmarket
and they came from a great great aunt from Russia
he had never met.
The students stories were fairytales
that had nothing to do with Telecom ...


50 meters away from the old postal building
was a little Boutique with a sign "for sale" ...

Thurn & Taxis called the number on the sign right away
from the opposite cafe (mobile phones did not exit yet).
Hanging up the phone he told the young student:

"The price of this Boutique is
not even half
of what my wife spends on a cocktail dress.
I really enjoy that the
Telecom adventures of my ancestors
interest you so much.
This is much more fun for me than the dresses.

"If I give you a few  thalers left from our Thurn & Taxis Post wouldn't you like to start a new Telecom Business ....??" My family's Telecom buildings from Brussels and Francfort have been destroyed but in Paris everything is still there. I am convinced that Spirit of Telecommunications has remained in the old walls All you need to do is to reactivate it !!

"Telecom has been blocked by State monopolies,
one of these days these monopolies will fall
you will see the business, my family once has invented,
has a lot of future ...

At age 20 you have a lot of energy
and people will be surprised that you are still so young
I will help you ...
Find an idea
I will enjoy to follow  the adventure ... "



1986 June the student (red cercle) was invited
to an extraordinary birthday party in Regensburg, Bavaria
at the Thurn & Taxis castle.
Many people were at the party,
the Begum Aga Khan also above picture,
Sao Schlumberger, Mick Jagger, Malcom Forbes
and Alexander Graham Bell's friend Aimée Sottomajor.


1986 July the student had the key of the little Boutique
in the heart of Paris
50 m from the old Postal Building ...
This was like jumping into water ...

The Telecom project was so captivating,
the student was no longer interested in studying ...

Knowing nothing about nothing
the Boutique took a bit of time to open.
An idea needed to be found
and the shop needed to be renovated ...



Well when you are 20 and you open a Boutique
in the center of Paris
a lot of adventures are waiting for you ....

1370 1646 1671 1694 1708 1715 1717 1738 1876 1881 1938 1986 1987 1989 1991 1993 1994 1997 1999 2000 2003 2011 2012 2020 2022

Return of a Story ...

Opening a small Phone store
thanks to some Post Thalers
from the Thurn & Taxis

Start of a new Telecom Adventure


Electrica for Sony, a little Boutique in Paris

1987
The idea for the little Boutique
was to sell Sony Phones.
The phones could not be found anywhere in Europe
They were revolutionnary for their times:
Beautiful Phones includng an Answering Machines
or Cordless House Phones.

The only problem once the shippment
arrived from New York in September 1987
at the Charles de Gaulle airport
it was bloked by the customes authorities.

Desaster, un "douanier" explained that there was a French Law
forbidding importation of phones that were not "agrée PTT".
In fact the local PTT had a control over the market
and only French manufactures got the "agrée PTT" label.

The Boutique could not open
and there was no money left.

what to do now ?

Thurn & Taxis: "I could send you another Thaler
but this is not a good solution.
Think about all the difficulties the old postmasters had to handle
try to use this problem to find an idea"

As it was impossible to sell Sony phones
due to the PTT's Monopoly
the idea was to create a "Service Center"
for these iconic phones.
There was no law forbidding to sell 220V power adaptors,
batteries, phone connectors, repair service.

Very quickly the old Telecom genes
were reactivated
and the little Telephone Boutique took off.



1989
The Sony power adaptors were little cash cows.
Soon Paris Match started to cover the store.
Telephone Lovers poored into the store, one of them was Lady Diana.
Another Sony Boutique opened accross the street.
The aura of the young Boutique came to the ears of Akio Morita
who started to use us as a "test leb" to check out how
"Paris" was reacting to his latest ideas.



1990
August preparing another Sony Boutique
12 rue de la Ferronnerie (today Cremerie N°6)
Thurn & Taxis was impatient to come see it ...
but sadly he died December 19.


There have been so many changes in the Telecom Industry,
one technology replacing another
sometimes people are surprised we are still there.

But when you have had the chance to get a Thaler
with centuries of history
coming directly from the old postmasters
you have the obligation to do everyting you can
to face turbulances
and find new ideas ...



screenshots of our first "website" created on the Minitel in 1991

1991
Working around Sony was a chance
as the Japaneese company was extremely creative.
Soon we discovered a new tool
to attract more clients to our shops.
Minitel, a French ancester of the Internet.
Our prehistoric 100 page website
just pulled Sony Lovers into the stores.

At that time it was one of the very first 100 pages website,
some screenshots still exist.

1370 1646 1671 1694 1708 1715 1717 1738 1876 1881 1938 1986 1987 1989 1991 1993 1994 1997 1999 2000 2003 2011 2012 2020 2022

Return of a Story ...
Buying the historic Cremerie
at the old Postal Building in Paris



1993
An unbeleivable opportunity came up.
The historic Cremerie N°1 was for rent.
The place was right in the postal building,
not next door, not opposit,
right on the spot.

We tried to get it but the owner was scared
to rent such a big place to someone in the twenties

Aimée de Heeren had an idea.
"You should ask the landlord to buy the place
so that he has no risk with rent payments"

Sony adaptors, batteries, plugs,
connectors were little cashcows
but not enough to get a bank loan for "such a big" space.

Our young company had no financial background.
Thurn & Taxis
who would have bought the place immediately
was not there any more ...

His friend Aimée Sottomajor watched what we were doing ...
She knew our place since a long long time
not from the Postal stories of her friend Thurn & Taxis
but from someone elso.

flashback 1938


1938 Arriving in Paris as a Brazilian secret agent
Aimee Sotto Maior had fascinated
the fashion designer Coco Chanel.
Chanel did not realise Aimee was one of the major WW2 agents.



Chanel loved the staircase in our VB mansion
with a mysterious N°5 logo
forged into the railings.

She knew it since 1920
from her boyfriend Dmitri Romanov.
Dmitri was a remote great uncle of the editor of this website
but unfortunately
barriers of time had made it impossible to meet him in person.



a little jewel from Coco Chanel
In the 1960s Coco Chanel and Aimee de Heeren
used to go on nightwalks through Paris.

The staircase of the old postal building
was their destination.
Before leaving this world Chanel left Aimée a little jewel
she had once received from Dmitri Romanov.

Aimée who had watched our Telecom Boutique adventures
from the very beginning
knew that her friends Bell, Thurn & Taxis and Chanel
would have told her to "take some action".


So she decided to sell the little jewel
(more than a cocktail dress).
With the money from the jewel
and the one from the Sony phones
Deutsche Bank in Saarbruecken
located a few km from the French border
accepted to grant a real estate loan.

Five years later they would get the
Two Letter Internet domain DB.com,
but poor Carmen Fuchs who handled our account
would have quite some headaches with her Paris clients
Sooooo many unexpected turbulences were going to come.

Cremerie de Paris N°1 boosted our Sony activities.
We painted the walls ourselves.
The new store worked from the day it opened.

1370 1646 1671 1694 1708 1715 1717 1738 1876 1881 1938 1986 1987 1989 1991 1993 1994 1997 1999 2000 2003 2011 2012 2020 2022

Return of a Story ...
Opening the first Internet Cafe in Paris



Cremerie N° in the old Postal Building
reinvented as the first Internet Cafe in Paris


1994
The fortunes of Sony did not last,
Akio Morita the founder of the Japaneese company
and the inventor of the Walkman
stepped down from the company board
following a heart attack.
Almost overnight everything changed
and very quickly Sony revenues went down the hill.

Thurn & Taxis was not there any more to help
but we remembered his lesson
of the difficulties the old postmasters had to face
always leading to new ideas.

Andre Dunstetter, a friend of Johannes Thurn & Taxis
advised to find a new idea that might come from America ...

The first idea was to sell American
long distance phone lines
via a Callback system

Before the liberalisation of the European voice phone markets
it was possible to bypass the expensive local phone rates
using a phonesignal coming from California.
Receiving a commision on phone bills new income was building up.



1997
Soon was added an internet cafe.
The first years of the cafe were difficult ...
not enough people were using internet,
not enough customers at the cafe.
Phone commission from California took time to build up.

Before beeing able to stabilize
a retirement pension fund send an huissier (bailiff)
to collect delayed payments for social security charges.

As we could not pay fast enough
all clients were asked to leave the cafe
and the computers were taken away.
Not only the computers even a borken photocopy machine

One of the clients, an older man from California
that had every day and who was a friend of our dog "Electrica"
was a little sad to see this happen ...
Things are not always easy in France ...

After closing the Cremerie for 3 days
Mum send the money to buy one new computer

We found out that Fnac electronics store offered a shopping card
making it possible to buy two more computers
payable in 24 monthly payments.
The forth computer was found in front of a "poubelle" (trash can)
It was not working, but with 4 computers
the cybercafe looked less poor than with 3.


One of our American Cybercafe clients
had watched the turbulences at the cafe.
The departure of all the computers
and the modest reopening.
He told us that we was from a hi-tech background.
"In technology companies
turbulances happen
what is important
is to keep going ..."

He was glad that we had reopened ...
and showed us how to register DOT COM Domains.

The most valuable Dot COMs
are the shortest ones
Two Letter .com are the ultimum

There are only 676 of them ...
VB matches the history of VB
our old Hôtel de Villeroy Bourbon





What we did not realise at the time was
that the visitor was the personal assistant
of John Postel,
the inventor of the "dot com" system.





The concierge of the nearby Meurice
and the Ritz send the most clients
as if they wanted to help us to survive ...

1370 1646 1671 1694 1708 1715 1717 1738 1876 1881 1938 1986 1987 1989 1991 1993 1994 1997 1999 2000 2003 2011 2012 2020 2022

Running into another Pioneer ...
leading us to the invention of the
Phone Book of the World
1999 / 2000
The cafe attracted American pioneers
desperately looking for web acces
while travelling through Paris.

Without realizing it we run into the most fascinating people.
Most were young,
very young and nobody knew who they were
or who they were going to become,
They might not have known it themselves.


Others were a little older
one the already mentioned assistant of Dr Jon Postel
inventor of the dot com system
he showed us how to register domain names.





Another one had been on the first flight to the moon.
From 1998 to 2005 we met him every year when he came to Paris.
Picture taken in 2000 with the same Aim?e de Heeren
that already appeared in this story in 1921, 1938 and 1986.


Picture with Buzz Aldrin taken 2005 in the parc of Versailles,
former home of Louis XIV.
On the side Aimée Sottomajor / Aimée de Heeren

Buzz Aldrin has something fascinating about himself.
He is very modest but in a 1000 years his name will
still be in the history books.



Interesting Documentary about
Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Mike Collins
taking the first flight to the Moon







2000
Time for a new Telecom idea
Phone Book of the World.


The internet domain
PhonebookoftheWorld.com
was registered
at the old postal building now an internet cafe
2000 january 25
The price was 35$.

The Phone Book of the World project
was entirely financed by the revenues of the internet cafe.

2000 june the first version of the website
went online ...



Here again Aimée, the already mentioned friend of Alexander Graham Bell,
About 80 years and many changes in technology
seperate the two images.

Aimée came for web lessons.
She was amused to tell people that were 40 years younger
and who were scared to use a computer,
that "of course" she was online.

As Bell had told her
Aimée liked to be with young people.
"To stay young, you need to have young friends."

1370 1646 1671 1694 1708 1715 1717 1738 1876 1881 1938 1986 1987 1989 1991 1993 1994 1997 1999 2000 2003 2011 2012 2020 2022

Connected to the Google story ...

When Phone Book of the World came alive
at the turn of the century
it was difficulties to create cooperations
with established Phone Directories.

Some European Yellow Pages even send lawyers
asking us not the use the Yellow Colour.
Two even pretended to have invented
the universal expression Yellow Pages.


In America two young students born in 1973
Sergey Brin and Larry Page
had created
a new company that was very different
... Google

Without them it would have been impossible
to create our Phone Book of the World.

2000


2000 june
Google Search is added to Phone Book of the World.
Picture taken from an old homepage
published 2000 september 01



2002 Google Search becomes more sorphisticated
giving the choice between global web search
or a search targeted on our website.







2003
2003 august Phone Book of the World
affiliated with the new Google Adsense program
providing the website
with substantial advertising revenues.
This revenue replaces the income of the Cybercafe
and finances the further development
of Phone Book of the World

2005
Google created Google Analytics
providing us with free stats tools.

The website continues to be created from the exact same place.
Sometimes when programming webpages
we are watching the water fountain in our courtyard
and we think about the post horses.

It's as if the spirit of Telecommunication
of the old Postmasters
is still around ....


In this image showing our audience
you also have two pictures of our courtyard,
one is from 1699,
At the time
Louis Leon Pajot was 21
Anselm Franz von Thurn & Taxis 19,

The other one is from 2018,
319 years later.



Phone Book of the World visitors come from eveywhere,
and there are more visitors from New York,
Melbourne, Sydney and London
than from our hometown Paris.

1370 1646 1671 1694 1708 1715 1717 1738 1876 1881 1938 1986 1987 1989 1991 1993 1994 1997 1999 2000 2003 2011 2012 2020 2022

Return of a Story ...
Hosting the first spectecular
Pop Up Stores



Cremerie de Paris N°1 in the old Postal Building
reinvented as an iconic Pop Up Store Location


2011
No more need for Cybercafes,
the old Postal Building has to be reinvented,
once again.
The idea was to convert it an expo center
to show new products and inventions.

Again the start is a little difficult,
but havn't the old postmasters
left us the lesson
that difficulties are there to find new ideas ... ?
2012
After struggeling for a year to get the first expos
Nike discovered Cremerie de Paris
to create a Nike Barber Shop
immediately followed by other world class expos.

1370 1646 1671 1694 1708 1715 1717 1738 1876 1881 1938 1986 1987 1989 1991 1993 1994 1997 1999 2000 2003 2011 2012 2020 2022

2012 - 2018
surviving the construction
of Marguerite de Navarre,
a world class subway exit
in front of the Cremeries


building a new spectacular subway exit
Marguerite de Navarre
facing our Cremeries de Paris
and connecting them
to Europe's largest subway station Chatelet les Halles




construction of Margueritte de Navarre 2013 oct 10

construction of Margueritte de Navarre 2015 feb 27

construction of Margueritte de Navarre 2017 feb 11

Renovation of rue des Dechargeurs 2018 july 12
Building subway exit Marguerite de Navarre
Instead of 3 years, the project took over six years
which didn't make it easier to attract brands
for Pop Up Store events

The construction ended 2018 nov 22,
with the removal of a last "emprise de travaux"
only three jours before the opening cocktail of the
Amazon Pop Up Store
occupying all five Cremeries existing at that time.





2018 july 12 last nigh of an "endless" construction period
more pictures of the construction

While taking these pictures around our old postal gate
thinking about the crazy and funny stories
of the Post horses
that were leaving from our old gate 300 years ago
to carry mail to hundreds
of Pajot & Rouillet or Thurn & Taxis post relais.

According to Johannes Thurn & Taxis everything
was extremely well organised.
The horse coaches had a timetable that was the same every week.
Every monday 7 am mail left for Brussels
Every thuesday 7 am mail left for Frankfurt
Every wednesday 7 am mail left for Venice
... no phone, no electricity, no computer


Coming to our place reminded Louis XIV of his childhood,
sometimes Louis Leon Pajot
showed him the departure of the Post Horses.

Today the King would be amused to walk into
the always changing Pop Up Stores.
Some are so beautiful
they become part of the
long long history
of our Telecom Landmark in Paris.

1370 1646 1671 1694 1708 1715 1717 1738 1876 1881 1938 1986 1987 1989 1991 1993 1994 1997 1999 2000 2003 2011 2012 2020 2022

Return of a Story ...
Corona Lockdowns
Activating unused web domains
registred in the years of the Cybercafe



Whitepages

2020
Paris is hit by the Corona Crisis.
Every event is canceled.
What to do now ?

Time to remember the fascinating
Thurn & Taxis postal stories.
Didn't we have in our old house
the "Spirit of Telecommunications"
left by the old postmasters ?

Looking at our Google Analytics stats account
a surprise is waiting.
It's a bit like discovering some gold coins
hidden under the rooth of your house.

Lots and lots of people connecting to some
almost forgotten domains registered a long time ago ...
Almost undevelopped Whitepages.in for India had more visitors
than our Pop Up Stores could ever receive ...

During the following weeks
and old painting made by Petr Brandl (1688 - 1735)
gets a few photoshop enhancements
fixing a half cut Posthorn.
Anselm Franz von Thurn & Taxis is added into the logo.

Anselm's great x 7 grandson Memo von Sachsen uses his artistic eye
to advise on different versions of the logo.

1370 1646 1671 1694 1708 1715 1717 1738 1876 1881 1938 1986 1987 1989 1991 1993 1994 1997 1999 2000 2003 2011 2012 2020 2022

Return of a Story ...
Turning into a Meeting Place
of the World's most famous
Technology Brands







discover our
Pop Up Stores
and Brand Expos


The different Cremerie de Paris
Pop Up Store Locations

N°1 - N°2
N°3 - N°4 - N°5 - N°6
N°7 - N°8 - N°9
N°10 - N°18 - N°19



Who is next ?


Using the new subway exit Marguerite de Navarre
to arrive at Cremerie de Paris
(hosting a League of Legends / Netflix Pop Up Store
imagined by Sonny Borg)

Thank you for reading this article
going through 351 years
of Telecom history

more Telecom history ... see also Thurn-Taxis.com
Alexander Bell.com

1370 1646 1671 1694 1708 1715 1717 1738 1876 1881 1938 1986 1987 1989 1991 1993 1994 1997 1999 2000 2003 2011 2012 2020 2022