Parc de la Villette

The Parc de la Villette is the largest park and the third largest green space in Paris. It is located in the 19th arrondissement and is crossed by the Canal de l' Ourcq.

Designed by architect Bernard Tschumi, 35 -acre resort was opened in 1983.

History

By 1974, stood on the site of large slaughterhouses ( abattoirs de la Villette ) from the 19th century, although from 1963 to 1969 modernized with great effort, but were then closed as poor planning.

Conception

Bernhard Tschumi was based on the futuristic design of the Zenith opened in 1984 on the grounds. The elements of the park are early examples of deconstructivist architecture.

Its design is based on three spatial levels:

  • The points - 26 as folies ( crazes ) designated red buildings, each with different functions (eg, Café, Fast food restaurant, ticket kiosk, information and exhibition space or children's play castle ) - will be distributed as ordered grid on the grounds of the park and are the most striking elements of the overall concept.
  • The paths in the park are the lines, mostly blue paved promenades.
  • The surfaces in hot Tschumi concept prairies ( meadows ) and these are in the park than ten themed gardens dar.

Building in the park

In the 1980s and 90s, several major projects were implemented successively.

  • The Zenith of 1984, a Marquee for pop concerts between the Canal de l' Ourcq and the Boulevard périphérique stood before the opening of the park
  • The IMAX cinema ( 3D cinema ) La geode, a spherical stainless steel construction with 36 meters in diameter (opening May 1985)
  • The Cité des sciences et de l'industrie, the largest popular science museum in Europe. The nearly 300 -meter-long construction of Adrien Fainsilber was opened in 1986 and fills the north-east of the park. The complex is a renovation of a former slaughterhouse in 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 1990
  • The Concert Hall Cité de la musique at the southeast corner. Completed in 1995, also by de Portzamparc, with the Musée de la musique

Other attractions of the park are the concert circus tent Le Cabaret Sauvage and the submarine Argonaute, both located north of the canal.

Some of the older buildings of the former slaughterhouses remained. These include:

  • The exhibition space converted to Maison de la Villette (Northwest corner)
  • La Grande hall at Place de La Fontaine aux Lions
  • The Fondoir à suif (1867 ).

The old cattle market ( pavillon de la bourse ) is used as a theater. In the former buildings of the post office and the police station on the southwestern edge of the park today, the administrative offices ( Cité administrative ) are staying. Do not get, however, remained the Hippodrome de Paris, which had its place on the area between today's Zenith and the Cité de la musique.

Hectare Futurism Deconstructivism
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