What is a boulevard? In the minds of most people, this is a combination of well-equipped alleys lined with benches, through which you can walk slowly, resting from the noise of the city. Meanwhile, this word also has a different meaning, which has nothing to do with relaxation or entertainment, leisure activities.
About the origin of this word
In order to understand what a boulevard is from a historical point of view, you need to know the origin of this word. It is believed that this name has French roots. However, experts believe that it owes its origin not only to the French, but also to the Germans.
The German word bollwerk, like the French boulevard, has the primary meaning of “earthen fortified rampart”. That is, in former times, it was quite possible to call the boulevard not a place for walks at all, but a defensive or barrage structure. Also, this term had a meaning related to fortification, and in Dutch speech in the Middle Ages it was called bastions and other earthen fortifications.
How has the understanding of the word changed from the Middle Ages to the present day?
At the beginning of the XV century, to the question of what is the boulevard, any European would confidently answer that this is a special earthen fortification used in siege military operations.
For example, the boulevards were used by the British during the military campaign against France. During the siege of Orleans, boulevards were used, which were rounded redoubts with three internal tools and, of course, embrasure holes.
From the middle of the fifteenth to the sixteenth century, the question of what a boulevard was answered in Europe would not be so clear. After the war between France and England, this name was assigned to the lines of earthen fortifications in castles and fortresses. That is, so they began to call earthen ramparts. Subsequently, this name of the ramparts took root in urban settlements. This word meant the fortifications outside the city walls.
For example, the French Boulevard at the end of the 16th century and up to the beginning of the 18th century is a fortification that replaced the obsolete barbicans. They built such boulevards from the ground and turf, supplementing them with stone walls. Boulevards served as defensive posts opposing enemy artillery troops. Often they were connected to the main line of defensive structures with special moves. The remains of such fortifications are preserved in Troyes.
Subsequently, the need for such buildings in cities far from the external borders of the states disappeared, and in their place there appeared comfortable walking paths lined with trees. It was in this form that the boulevards of Paris were found in the 18th century by Russian travelers, and later, after the war with Napoleon, by the military. Presumably for this reason in the Russian language the word "boulevard" was never associated with fortifications.
Modern understanding of the word
In everyday speech, the boulevard is primarily a resting place for citizens combining well-maintained walking paths, benches, green spaces, cafeterias, any attractions or something else. Moreover, cafes, attractions, pop platforms and other things may not be, but benches and green spaces are always present on the boulevards.
This can be a single alley with a beginning and an end, or a whole string of alternating walking zones. For example, Moscow boulevards smoothly flow from one to another, forming a practically inextricable ring.
Boulevards in modern cities are of particular importance. They not only serve as a place for rest and walks, but also act as a protective barrier against noise, dust, exhaust gases. That is, they still perform a defensive function, but in a different sense.