Parc de la Villette
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The Parc de la Villette is the largest park and the second largest green area of Paris . It is located in the 19th arrondissement and is crossed by the Canal de l'Ourcq .
The 35 hectare facility designed by architect Bernard Tschumi was opened in 1983.
history
Until 1974 there were large slaughterhouses ( abattoirs de la Villette ) from the 19th century, which were modernized at great expense from 1963 to 1969, but then closed as a bad plan.
Conception
Bernhard Tschumi was based on the futuristic design of the Zénith, which opened on the site in 1984 . The elements of the park are early examples of deconstructivist architecture .
Its conception is based on three spatial levels:
- The dots - 26 red structures called folies (craziness), each with different functions (e.g. café, fast food restaurant, ticket kiosk, information and exhibition room or children's play castle) - are distributed as an orderly grid on the grounds of the park and are the most noticeable elements of the overall concept.
- The paths in the park are the lines , mostly blue-paved promenades.
- The surfaces are called in Tschumi concept prairies (meadows) and set in the park than ten theme gardens represent.
Buildings in the park
In the 1980s and 90s, several major projects were successively implemented.
- The Zénith from 1984, a tent for pop concerts between the Canal de l'Ourcq and the Boulevard périphérique , was about to open
- the IMAX cinema (3D cinema) La Géode , a spherical stainless steel building with a diameter of 36 meters (opening May 1985)
- the Cité des sciences et de l'industrie , the largest popular science museum in Europe. The almost 300 meter long building by Adrien Fainsilber opened in 1986 and fills the northeast of the park. The complex is a conversion of a large slaughterhouse from the 1960s.
- the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris on the southern edge of the park, built by architect Christian de Portzamparc in 1990.
- the Cité de la musique concert hall on the southeast corner. Completed in 1995, also by de Portzamparc, with the Musée de la musique
Other attractions in the park include the Le Cabaret Sauvage concert and circus tent and the Argonaute submarine , both north of the canal.
Some older buildings of the former slaughterhouses have been preserved. This includes:
- the Maison de la Villette (northwest corner) converted into an exhibition space
- La Grande halle on the Place de La Fontaine aux Lions
- the Fondoir à suif (1867).
The old cattle exchange ( pavillon de la bourse ) is used as a theater. The administrative offices ( Cité administrative ) are now located in the former buildings of the post office and the police post on the south-western edge of the park . However, the Hippodrome de Paris , which was located on the area between today's Zénith and the Cité de la musique , was not preserved.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from January 21, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Web links
- www.villette.com Website of the park (French)
- www.lageode.fr Website of the IMAX cinema in the park (French)
- lartnouveau.com Historical photos of the slaughterhouse site and history of its transformation into a museum park (French)
Coordinates: 48 ° 53 ′ 35 " N , 2 ° 23 ′ 26" E