Coordinates: 48°23′14″N 4°29′24″W / 48.387202°N 4.490125°W / 48.387202; -4.490125
The rue de Siam (or Siam Street) is the main arterial street of Brest. Its name comes from the arrival of three ambassadors led by Kosa Pan, sent by the King of Siam on the 29 June 1686 to meet Louis XIV in Versailles. They went with six mandarins, three translators, two secretaries and a retinue of servants, loaded with presents. They traveled on the boats l'Oiseau and La Maligne.
They crossed Saint-Pierre Street to go to the hostel of the same name. The inhabitants were so amazed that they renamed the street. The street was quite narrow before World War II.
The rue de Siam is quoted by Jacques Prévert in his poem Barbara.
Famous quotes containing the words rue and/or siam:
“With rue my heart is laden
For golden friends I had,
For many a rose-lipt maiden
And many a lightfoot lad.”
—A.E. (Alfred Edward)
“Be careful about Burma. Most people cannot remember whether it was Siam and has become Thailand, or whether it is now part of Malaysia and should be called Sri Lanka.”
—Alexander Cockburn (b. 1941)