2.6.14

(Rather) wild nature


Some five years ago I made a post, see here, about what was supposed to become the 2012 Olympic Village, if Paris had been chosen (London got it and made it to a success). Instead it was decided that this area, quite close to where I live, should be transformed to a big park, surrounded by housing, offices and the new Palace of Justice. The park is referred to as “Clichy-Batignolles”, or in its full name ”Parc Clichy-Batignolles - Martin Luther King”.

Since my last “report” a lot has bee done and a lot is ongoing. You can see building cranes all over. Much is under construction, but a number of buildings are already ready and occupied. Everything is very ecological with solar panels on the roofs, wind turbines, rainwater harvesting in the park etc…





A new part of the park was recently opened, more or less doubling it space. But maybe first some explanations, as often by me, expressed by some mapping, plans…

Here is a view of the city plan from 1860 and also of the railway shunt yard this used to be, surrounded by a soap factory, by a slaughter house – since long disappeared – and we can see that the defensive Thiers Wall was still there (demolished during the 1920’s – some traces still left and conserved - see again here)….


This is what the area looks like today / is going to be within a few years. We can notice the new addition to the park (ready), a prolonged no. 14 metro line with a stop - “Pont Cardinet”, the future Palace of Justice… and what will remain - the Opera Warehouse for scenic equipment, designed by Charles Garnier (better known for the “Opera Garnier” (see here), the Casino in Monte Carlo (see here) etc…, including a more neglected building on Boulevard Saint Germain (see here)).


The newly opened part of the park offers some playgrounds…


… but also a surprisingly wild looking part (see also top picture).


The park reaches in its north les Boulevards des Maréchaux (Marshals) and the above mentioned Opera Warehouse. As a reference to the old shunt yard, some rails have been conserved.


The older and the newer part of the park, already connected, will later be connected by a building under construction, under which some trains will still be able to pass.



To finish, here are some photos of the part of the park which now has been there for seven years, very popular some sunny spring days. 



9 comments:

Virginia said...

Well I"m not sure about all this. I hope it hasn't disturbed the beautiful parc near your home that you have shared with us all these years. I"ll just have to make a trip to see it all and decide! :)
V

PeterParis said...

Virginia> No, "my" park is still there, as before! :-)

Amanda said...

I will have to see it in person to have an opinion but from your explanations and photos, I love it!

Anne in Oxfordshire said...

Hi Peter .I am glad your parc is safe and sound. I think this is a fab idea. Looks like a wonderful parc and worth a visit. :-) thanks for another super post.

Alain said...

Paris n'a, semble-t-il, plus d'ambitions olympiques...

French Girl in Seattle said...

Bonjour Peter. Long time, no talk to. I have missed blogging and visiting my friends' blogs... Glad I stopped by tonight, because I just learned about yet another new place to see in Paris. Paris is on the move it seems... I come every year, and yet I keep missing things. Thank goodness your camera is there to capture it all. Merci! Veronique (French Girl in Seattle)

Thérèse said...

I like seeing positive things on the move. Just hoping for no future scandal about this... :-)

Anonymous said...


My sister tells me she's soon moving there.

Can't wait to visit her...and see for myself.

Looks beautiful to me already....

Thanks, Peter!

Synne said...

How cool to see the development! Some of the new buildings look very much like some of the modern ones along the Oslo sea side (http://bit.ly/1iU6s2w), I think. I'm also glad to see some buildings covered in plants - I find those green houses very fascinating!