So you think you know Paris?: nature

Showing posts with label nature. Show all posts

Monday, 15 July 2013

Jardin Villemin (video)

Here's episode 2 of "Sytyk - the Series" - Le Jardin Villemin:

Copyright © — All Rights Reserved — Tous droits réservés Paraic Maguire (sytykparis@eblana.eu)

Sunday, 8 January 2012

Baron Haussmann is famous for designing the layout of the city of Paris as we know it today. Under the authority of Napoleon III he levelled whole districts of mediaeval Paris to make way for the wide boulevards and avenues that are characteristic of the modern city. His plan also included several areas of greenery, on the model of the great parks of London, to act as the lungs of the city. To the existing Luxembourg (6th arrondissement) and Tuileries (1st) gardens he added Parc Montsouris (14th), Parc Monceau (8th) and — the most interesting of them all — Parc des Buttes Chaumont (19th).

Covering an area of around 24 hectares (60 acres), the Parc des Buttes Chaumont is the third biggest park in modern Paris, after La Villette (also 19th) and Tuileries. It is built on a hill, the site of a disused gypsum quarry, in a style similar to other Haussmann-style landscaped parks. What makes it different is the variety of terrain: manicured undulating lawns, steep tree-topped hills, a lake, waterfalls, cliffs, caves. Nobody seems to mind — or know — that all of the "natural" features are artificial.

The most striking attractions in the park is the lake with its rocky island that rises to a height of 30m above water level. The island is topped by the "Temple of Sybil" — inspired by the Temple of Vesta in Tivoli, near Rome — overlooking a cave. The island can be accessed from the west by a wooden suspension bridge (65m long, 8m above the level of the lake) or from the south by the "Bridge of Suicides".

The park boasts many beautiful trees, some indigenous, some of more exotic origins. Among them you will find Cedar from Lebanon, Himalayan Cedar, Ginkgo, Byzantine Hazelnut, Siberian Elm, European Holly, and a venerable Oriental Plane planted in 1862 (before the park was inaugurated).

The varied scenery has made the park a favourite among locals, from the picnickers and sun-worshippers who occupy the lawns, to the athletic types who prefer to jog up the hill and do their stretching exercises around the bandstand.

The main entrance to the park is at the junction of Rue Botzaris and Rue Simon Bolivar. The other entrances are Porte Secrétan, Porte Armand-Carrel, Porte de Crimée, Porte de la Villette and Porte Fessart. There are also several minor entrances.

Despite the altitude of the park, there are no dramatic vistas. But if you want views, you don't have to go far: the Jardin de Belleville — less than a kilometre away — provides one of the best panoramic views of Paris.

Getting there

Metro: Botzaris (line 7b); Buttes Chaumont (line 7b); Pyrénées (line 11); Laumière (line 5)
Bus: 26, 48, 60, 75

Tuesday, 13 December 2011

Jardin Villemin

Along the banks of the Canal Saint Martin, on the corner of Rue des Récollets and Quai de Valmy, stands one of the biggest areas of greenery in the 10th arrondissement. Together with the canal itself, it is a haven of peace in an otherwise hectic built-up area.

Around 1870, at the time of the Franco-Prussian War, a military hospital was established in a former convent, le Couvent des Récollets. The hospital was installed in this location, strategically close to Gare de l’Est, so the wounded soldiers returning from the front could be treated quickly. The convent building now houses the Order of Architects of the Paris region; the grounds are now the Jardin de Villemin.

The garden has four entrances: two on Quai de Valmy; one on Rue des Récollets (through the entrance of the former hospital); and one on Avenue de Verdun (next to Gare de l’Est).

For such a relatively small garden, the number of species of tree is impressive: Chestnut, Acacia, Plane, Oak, Birch; and if you look carefully you’ll find several different varieties of Maple. There are also Blackberry bushes, Sophora, a seven-metre-tall Paper Mulberry tree, Cherry trees, an Apple tree and an eight-metre-tall Weeping Willow. A grand old White Mulberry is stretched out across the ground having been laid low by a storm, but it thrives nonetheless. Near it are Rose trees, a Mexican orange tree and numerous decorative bushes: Hibiscus, Abelia, Lavender, Rosemary, Cistus.

Récollets entrance (old military hospital gate)

Next to the Rue des Récollets entrance – the only remaining vestige of the old military hospital – there is a community garden managed by a local association. It covers a total area of around 220 square metres and is divided into 50 lots where they grow over 150 varieties of vegetables and flowers. Many local schoolchildren get their introduction to horticulture here, instructed by volunteers, mainly retired people from the area. Special raised boxes allow handicapped people to participate in the experience.

The splendid variety of flora is not the only amenity in the garden. There is a playground for children, a sports area for grown-ups, a pond for the birds, a water fountain for the thirsty, a bandstand for musicians, and a large area of gently hilly lawn for picnickers and sunbathers along the canal side of the garden. Something for everyone!

Fountain, Jardin Villemin

This lawn area was added to the garden in 2000 – but it almost wasn't! There had been a plan to build apartments on the Quai de Valmy, but following a campaign by local residents and associations, the City of Paris bought the plot and cancelled the construction project. This allowed an extension of the garden to its current size with its access to the Canal Saint Martin.

There are several pleasant café-bars and restaurants on Rue des Récollets, and a larger brasserie with a terrace facing the Avenue Verdun entrance.

Getting there

Metro: Gare de l’Est (lines 4/5/7)

Friday, 9 December 2011

Canal Saint Martin

Of all the 20 arrondissements of Paris, the 10th is the one with the smallest proportion of green space. This is hardly surprising when you think it is home to two of the biggest train stations in the city (Gare de l'Est and Gare du Nord) and two big hospitals (Hôpital Lariboisière and Hôpital Saint Louis). The hospitals have small gardens within, but the train stations take up huge amounts of space, not only with the terminal buildings but also a considerable chunk of territory with their tracks that spread out north and north-east through the arrondissement on the start of their journeys to exotic places from Bondy to Brussels, Sarcelles to Strasbourg, from Livry to London.

Canal Saint Martin by night

The area has several pleasant (though small) gardens which are worth a visit. But if you really want to see the wild side of the 10th, your best bet is to take a stroll along the Canal Saint Martin. This wonderful amenity stretches over 4.5 kilometres between the Bassin de la Villette and the port de l'Arsenal, near Place de la Bastille. Part of this course is underground (covered by the Boulevard Jules Ferry and Boulevard Richard Lenoir), but most of it is open air. The visible portion of the canal is entirely in the 10th arrondissement.

The canal was built in the 19th century to provide the city of Paris with drinking water and also to serve as a means of transport for heavy merchandise in and out of the city. Its golden age was from the 19th century to the middle of the 20th. During this period many factories and warehouses were built along its banks and the population of the 10th was principally made up of working class families. With the growth in road and rail transport the canal fell into disuse and almost disappeared in the 1970s when a plan was proposed to cover in the canal and build a four-lane highway along its route. Fortunately this plan was never put into action and the canal and its banks remain today a source of pleasure to inhabitants and visitors alike.

Industrial transport barge on Canal Saint Martin

Most of the traffic on the canal today consists of tourist barges and private pleasure vessels, though the occasional industrial cargo can be seen negotiating the nine locks.

The banks of the canal along the Quai de Jemmapes and the Quai de Valmy are a much-used amenity. The quays are closed to motor traffic on Sundays and national holidays to make way for pedestrians, cyclists and skaters: from 10am to 8pm in summer (April-September) and 10am to 6pm in winter (October-March). On summer evenings the quays are thronged with picnickers and musicians.

Film buffs will already know the canal scenery from the 1938 film Hôtel du Nord by Marcel Carné, or the more recent Amélie (Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain) by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (2001).

The range of wildlife in and around the canal may surprise. In the water itself there are several varieties of fish. If you're not in a hurry, set up your rod, park yourself on a stool and wait for the roach, carp, tench, bream, trout, pike, eels or perch to bite. If you're lucky you might even catch some crayfish. If you look hard you may also spot a muskrat.

The flora along the banks is also quite varied. You'll find poplar, sycamore, plane, cherry, chestnut, beech, some of them over 100 years old. While you're looking up at these wonderful trees you will no doubt see lots of pigeons and sparrows, and also the occasional visitor from the coast – seagulls. Yes, at over 100km from the sea. But look down too! Under your feet you'll find various grasses, dandelions, plantains (not the variety of banana!), groundsel, wild chamomile.

For a wider variety of flora, take a detour into the Jardin Villemin, at the corner of Rue des Récollets and Quai de Valmy. (There will be a more detailed description of this garden in a future post.)

Getting there

Northern end (Bassin de La Villette, locks 1 & 2):

Metro: Stalingrad (lines 2/5/7); Jaurès (lines 2/5)
Bus: 26/48/54

Centre (locks 3 & 4):

Bus: 46

Southern end (before the tunnel, locks 7 & 8):

Metro: République (lines 3/5/8/9/11); Goncourt (line 11)
Bus: 75

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