The Promenade Plantée is built on
the former right-of-way of the Vincennes railway line, which linked the
Bastille station to Verneuil-l'Étang beginning in 1859, passing through
Vincennes. It ceased operation on December 14, 1969; part of the line was
integrated into Line A of the RER,
while the Paris-Vincennes was completely abandoned.
Beginning in the 1980s, the area was
renovated. In 1984, the Bastille station was demolished to permit construction
of the Opéra Bastille. The Reuilly area was designed in 1986; it incorporated
the old commercial rail depot of Reuilly into a group of park areas. The
Promenade Plantée was put into place at the same time in order to reuse the
rest of the abandoned line between the Bastille and the old Montempoivre gate
to the city. Landscape architect Jacques
Vergely and architect Philippe
Mathieux designed the
parkway, and it was inaugurated in 1993. The arcades of the Viaduc des Arts
were renovated in 1989, as was the new square
Charles-Péguy.
The parkway was the only elevated
park in the world for some years, but the first phase of the High Line,
a similar park on an old railway-viaduct in the Chelsea neighborhood
of Manhattan,
was completed in 2010, and the second phase was completed in 2011; the third
phase is still pending. There are also plans for the Bloomingdale Trail in
Chicago and on old Reading Viaduct elevated
rail in theCallowhill section of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania.
Overview
The Promenade plantée is an extensive green belt that
follows the old Vincennes railway line. Beginning just east of
the Opéra Bastillewith the elevated Viaduc des
Arts, it follows a 4.7 km (2.9 mi) path eastward that ends
at a spiral staircase leading to the boulevard Périphérique beltway. As of 2010, the Promenade
Plantée access under the beltway is closed, although the Bois de Vincennes, just on the other side of the closed
access, can be reached through the bustling streets of the Saint-Mandé district.
At the western, Bastille end of the parkway, it rises
10 m above the surrounding area and forms the Viaduc des
Arts, a line of shops emphasizing highly skilled arts and crafts.
The shops are located in the arches of the former elevated railway viaduct,
with the parkway being supported atop the viaduct. This portion of the parkway
runs parallel to the avenue
Daumesnil. The parkway intersects the Jardin de
Reuilly near the rue
Montgallet and
descends to street level. At that point, it becomes a mall and then follows the
old railway right-of-way below street level towards the east, passing through
several tunnels. As it reaches the rue du Sahel,
it splits, with one portion continuing to the beltway, and the other
terminating in the square
Charles-Péguy along
the former path of a branch line that once linked to the Petite Ceinture railway.
The high-level route has some enclosed sections, as when it passes between
modern buildings, and some open sections with expansive views.
In addition to the jardin de Reuilly and the square
Charles-Péguy, the Promenade Plantée also includes the jardin de la
gare de Reuilly, with its preserved but unused railway station, and
the square
Hector-Malot.
While other abandoned railways have been converted into
parks and parkways, the Promenade Plantée is the first green space constructed
on an elevated viaduct.
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