Bassin de la Villette
Encyclopedia
The Bassin de la Villette (La Villette Basin) is the largest artificial lake in Paris. It was filled with water on 2 December 1808. Located in the 19th arrondissement of the capital, it links the Canal de l'Ourcq
to the Canal Saint-Martin
, and it represents one of the elements of the Réseau des Canaux Parisiens (Parisian Canal Network), a public-works authority operated by the city. The other components of the network are the Canal de l'Ourcq
, the Canal Saint-Denis
, the Canal Saint-Martin
, and the Bassin de l'Arsenal
. Together, these canals and basins extend roughly 130 kilometres (80.8 mi).
Rectangular, eight hundred metres in length and seventy metres in width, it begins at the Rue de Crimée (Crimea Street) bridge, the last bridge in Paris that can be raised and lowered hydraulically to permit the passage of ship and barge traffic beneath it, and it ends at the Place de Stalingrad near the Rotunda de la Villette. Boats meant for river-cruising tie-up here, but both shores of the boat basin are also the home of the MK2 Quai de Loire and MK2 Quai de Seine movie theatre complexes, the most modern in France. A small electric passenger ferry, the Zéro de conduite, is available for transporting people from one side of the basin to the other.
The basin is bordered on the north by the Quai de la Seine and on the south by the Quai de la Loire, which are linked in the middle of the basin by a footbridge, the Passerelle de la Moselle.
They are known as "general stores" (but not in the sense of "department stores"), and they were first used to store grain and flour. Their design, execution, and placement were based on the urban plans originally conceived by Claude Nicolas Ledoux
in the eighteenth century, and they operated in perfect symmetry at the Bassin de la Villette, one on the Quai de la Seine side, and one on the Quai de la Loire side.
Later, they were gradually dispossessed of their original purpose and transformed, at the end of the twentieth century, into artists' studios and workshops, small offices, or other small enterprises.
In 1990, the building on the Quai de la Seine side burned beyond repair. For security reasons, the storehouse on the quai de la Loire side was closed also.
Canal de l'Ourcq
The Canal de l'Ourcq is a 108.1 km long canal of the Paris Basin with 10 locks. It was built at a width of 3.2 m but was enlarged to 3.7 m , which permitted use by more pleasure boats...
to the Canal Saint-Martin
Canal Saint-Martin
Canal Saint-Martin is a 4.5 km long canal in Paris. It connects the Canal de l'Ourcq to the river Seine.-Geography:The entrance of the canal is a double lock near Place de Stalingrad. Then, towards the river Seine, the canal is bordered by the quai de Valmy on one side and the quai de Jemmapes on...
, and it represents one of the elements of the Réseau des Canaux Parisiens (Parisian Canal Network), a public-works authority operated by the city. The other components of the network are the Canal de l'Ourcq
Canal de l'Ourcq
The Canal de l'Ourcq is a 108.1 km long canal of the Paris Basin with 10 locks. It was built at a width of 3.2 m but was enlarged to 3.7 m , which permitted use by more pleasure boats...
, the Canal Saint-Denis
Canal Saint-Denis
The Canal Saint-Denis is a canal in Paris that is in length. The canal connects the Canal de l'Ourcq, at a point north-northwest of the Bassin de la Villette in the 19th arrondissement, with the suburban municipalities of Saint-Denis and Aubervilliers in the department of Seine-Saint-Denis...
, the Canal Saint-Martin
Canal Saint-Martin
Canal Saint-Martin is a 4.5 km long canal in Paris. It connects the Canal de l'Ourcq to the river Seine.-Geography:The entrance of the canal is a double lock near Place de Stalingrad. Then, towards the river Seine, the canal is bordered by the quai de Valmy on one side and the quai de Jemmapes on...
, and the Bassin de l'Arsenal
Bassin de l'Arsenal
The Bassin de l'Arsenal is a boat basin in Paris. It links the Canal Saint-Martin, which begins at the Place de la Bastille, to the Seine, at the Quai de la Rapée...
. Together, these canals and basins extend roughly 130 kilometres (80.8 mi).
Rectangular, eight hundred metres in length and seventy metres in width, it begins at the Rue de Crimée (Crimea Street) bridge, the last bridge in Paris that can be raised and lowered hydraulically to permit the passage of ship and barge traffic beneath it, and it ends at the Place de Stalingrad near the Rotunda de la Villette. Boats meant for river-cruising tie-up here, but both shores of the boat basin are also the home of the MK2 Quai de Loire and MK2 Quai de Seine movie theatre complexes, the most modern in France. A small electric passenger ferry, the Zéro de conduite, is available for transporting people from one side of the basin to the other.
The basin is bordered on the north by the Quai de la Seine and on the south by the Quai de la Loire, which are linked in the middle of the basin by a footbridge, the Passerelle de la Moselle.
General stores
Along the Bassin de la Villette, there are two buildings that shape its ends. These were built between 1845 and 1853 as commercial warehouses, but they have a certain utilitarian beauty.They are known as "general stores" (but not in the sense of "department stores"), and they were first used to store grain and flour. Their design, execution, and placement were based on the urban plans originally conceived by Claude Nicolas Ledoux
Claude Nicolas Ledoux
Claude-Nicolas Ledoux was one of the earliest exponents of French Neoclassical architecture. He used his knowledge of architectural theory to design not only in domestic architecture but town planning; as a consequence of his visionary plan for the Ideal City of Chaux, he became known as a utopian...
in the eighteenth century, and they operated in perfect symmetry at the Bassin de la Villette, one on the Quai de la Seine side, and one on the Quai de la Loire side.
Later, they were gradually dispossessed of their original purpose and transformed, at the end of the twentieth century, into artists' studios and workshops, small offices, or other small enterprises.
In 1990, the building on the Quai de la Seine side burned beyond repair. For security reasons, the storehouse on the quai de la Loire side was closed also.
Sources
- Fiche de la rotonde dans Structurae
- Fiche de la rotonde dans Comenius
- Paris balades
- Mairie du 19ème
External links
- Pont-levant de la rue de Crimée et Passerelle de la rue Crimée sur Structurae.de