Breaking away from the orderliness of the city
In 1853, a concession was granted to the Paris-Strasbourg Railway Company to build and use the “Bastille/Bois de Vincennes” line running from the east to the west of Paris’ 12th arrondissement. The Bastille railway line, inaugurated in 1859, was abandoned in1969.
The uneven levels of the land meant that a viaduct with 67 arches had to be built, along a length of more than a mile between the Bastille and the rue Rambouillet.
This work involved restoring the viaduct, fashioning a “Promenade Plantée” above the disused railway line, and lastly setting up shops and arts & crafts studios and workshops under the arches.
The Parisian avenue created by the viaduct is an impressive exercise in urban regeneration.

© Patrick Berger

1988

1996