Parc De La Villette
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The Parc de la Villette () is the third-largest park in Paris, in area, located at the northeastern edge of the city in the 19th arrondissement. The park houses one of the largest concentrations of cultural venues in Paris, including the
Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie The Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie (, "City of Science and Industry", abbreviated la CSI) or simply CSI is a large science museum in Europe. Located in the Parc de la Villette in Paris, France, it is one of the three dozen French Cultural ...
(City of Science and Industry, Europe's largest science museum), three major concert venues, and the prestigious
Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), or the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (; CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue Jean Ja ...
. Parc de la Villette is served by
Paris Métro The Paris Métro (, , or , ), short for Métropolitain (), is a rapid transit system serving the Paris metropolitan area in France. A symbol of the city, it is known for its density within the capital's territorial limits, uniform architectur ...
stations Corentin Cariou on Line 7 and Porte de Pantin on Line 5.


History

The park was designed by
Bernard Tschumi Bernard Tschumi (born 25 January 1944 in Lausanne, Switzerland) is an architect, writer, and educator, commonly associated with deconstructivism. Son of the well-known Swiss architect Jean Tschumi and a French mother, Tschumi is a dual French ...
, a French architect of Swiss origin, who built it from 1984 to 1987 in partnership with Colin Fournier, on the site of the huge Parisian ''abattoirs'' (slaughterhouses) and the national wholesale meat market, as part of an urban redevelopment project. The slaughterhouses, built in 1867 on the instructions of
Napoléon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...
, had been cleared away and relocated in 1974. Tschumi won a major design competition in 1982–83 for the park as part of the
Grands Projets of François Mitterrand The Grands Projets of François Mitterrand (variants: Grands Travaux or Grands Projets Culturels ; officially: Grandes Opérations d'Architecture et d'Urbanisme ) was an architectural programme to provide modern monuments in Paris, the city of mo ...
, and sought the opinions of the deconstructionist philosopher
Jacques Derrida Jacques Derrida (; ; born Jackie Élie Derrida;Peeters (2013), pp. 12–13. See also 15 July 1930 – 9 October 2004) was a French Algerian philosopher. He developed the philosophy of deconstruction, which he utilized in a number of his texts, ...
in the preparation of his design proposal. Since the creation of the park, museums, concert halls, and theatres have been designed by several noted contemporary architects, including
Christian de Portzamparc Christian de Portzamparc (; born 5 May 1944) is a French architect and urbanist. He graduated from the École Nationale des Beaux Arts in Paris in 1970. His projects reflect a sensibility to their environment and to urbanism that is a found ...
, Adrien Fainsilber, Philippe Chaix, Jean-Paul Morel, Gérard Chamayou, on to Mr. Tschumi.


Park attractions

The park houses museums, concert halls, live performance stages, and theatres, as well as playgrounds for children, and thirty-five architectural
follies ''Follies'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The plot centers on a crumbling Broadway theater, now scheduled for demolition, previously home to a musical revue (based on the ''Ziegfeld Follies ...
. These include: *
Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie The Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie (, "City of Science and Industry", abbreviated la CSI) or simply CSI is a large science museum in Europe. Located in the Parc de la Villette in Paris, France, it is one of the three dozen French Cultural ...
(City of Science and Industry), the largest science museum in Europe; also home of Vill'Up, a shopping centre opened in November 2016 with the world largest indoor pulsed air free fall flight simulator of 14 m high and several cinemas (IMAX, 4DX and dynamic); * La Géode, an
IMAX IMAX is a proprietary system of High-definition video, high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and movie theater, theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (image), aspect ratio (approximately ei ...
theatre inside of a diameter geodesic dome; *
Cité de la musique The Cité de la Musique (, "City of Music"), also known as Philharmonie 2, is a group of institutions dedicated to music and situated in the Parc de la Villette, 19th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was designed with the nearby Conservatoi ...
(City of Music), a museum of historical musical instruments with a concert hall, also home of the
Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), or the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (; CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue Jean Ja ...
; *
Philharmonie de Paris The Philharmonie de Paris () () is a complex of concert halls in Paris, France. The buildings also house exhibition spaces and rehearsal rooms. The main buildings are all located in the Parc de la Villette at the northeastern edge of Paris in the ...
, a new symphony hall with 2,400 seats for orchestral works, jazz, and world music designed by
Jean Nouvel Jean Nouvel (; born 12 August 1945) is a French architect. Nouvel studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and was a founding member of ''Mars 1976'' and ''Syndicat de l'Architecture'', France’s first labor union for architects. He has ob ...
, opened since January 2015. * Grande halle de la Villette, a historical cast iron & glass abattoir that now holds fairs, festive cultural events, and other programming; *
Le Zénith Le Zénith () is the name given to a series of indoor arenas in France. The first arena, the "Zénith Paris" is a rejuvenation of the Pavillon de Paris. In French culture, the word "zénith" has become synonymous with "theater". A zénith is a ...
, a concert arena with 6,300 seats for rock and pop music; * L'Argonaute, a 50 m long decommissioned military submarine; * Cabaret Sauvage, a flexible small concert stage with 600 to 1,200 seats, designed by Méziane Azaïche in 1997; * Le Trabendo, a contemporary venue for pop, rock, folk music, and jazz with 700 seats; * Théâtre Paris-Villette, a small actors' theatre and acting workshop with 211 seats; * Le Hall de la Chanson (at Pavillon du Charolais), theatre dedicated to French song with 140 seats * WIP Villette, "Work In Progress–Maison de la Villette," a space dedicated to Hip-Hop culture, social theatre, art work initiatives, and cultural democracy; * Espace Chapiteaux, a permanent space under a tent for contemporary circus, resident and touring companies perform; * Pavillon Paul-Delouvrier, a chic contemporary event space for conferences, workshops, and social events designed by Oscar Tusquets; * Centre équestre de la Villette,
equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or riding in British English) Examples of this are: *Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes in ...
center with numerous year-round events. * Cinéma en plein air, an outdoor movie theatre, site of an annual film festival; Le TARMAC (former Théâtre de l'Est Parisien), venue for world performance art and dance companies touring from "
La Francophonie LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smi ...
", has moved to 159 avenue Gambetta in the 20th arrondissement.


Tourism

Since its completion in 1987, the Parc de la Villette has become a popular attraction for
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
residents and international travelers alike. An estimated 10 million people visit the park each year to take part in an array of cultural activities. With its collection of museums, theatres, architectural follies, themed gardens, and open spaces for exploration and activity, the park has created an area that relates to both adults and children. Designed by
Bernard Tschumi Bernard Tschumi (born 25 January 1944 in Lausanne, Switzerland) is an architect, writer, and educator, commonly associated with deconstructivism. Son of the well-known Swiss architect Jean Tschumi and a French mother, Tschumi is a dual French ...
, the park is meant to be a place inspired by the post-modernist architectural ideas of
deconstructivism Deconstructivism is a postmodern architecture, postmodern architectural movement which appeared in the 1980s. It gives the impression of the fragmentation of the constructed building, commonly characterised by an absence of obvious harmony, ...
. Tschumi's design was in partial response to the philosophies of
Jacques Derrida Jacques Derrida (; ; born Jackie Élie Derrida;Peeters (2013), pp. 12–13. See also 15 July 1930 – 9 October 2004) was a French Algerian philosopher. He developed the philosophy of deconstruction, which he utilized in a number of his texts, ...
, acting as an architectural experiment in space (through a reflection on Plato's
Khôra In semiotics, ''khôra'' (also ''chora''; ) is the space that gives a place for being. The term has been used in philosophy by Plato to designate a receptacle (as a "third kind" 'triton genos'' '' Timaeus'' 48e4), a space, a material substratum ...
), form, and how those relate a person's ability to recognize and interact. According to Tschumi, the intention of the park was to create space for activity and interaction, rather than adopt the conventional park mantra of ordered relaxation and self-indulgence. The vast expanse of the park allows for visitors to walk about the site with a sense of freedom and opportunity for exploration and discovery. The design of the park is organized into a series of points, lines, and surfaces. These categories of spatial relation and formulation are used in Tschumi's design to act as a means of deconstructing the traditional views of how a park is conventionally meant to exist.


Activities

The Parc de la Villette boasts activities that engage all people of all ages and cultural backgrounds. The park is a contemporary melting pot of cultural expression where local artists and musicians produce exhibits and performances. On the periphery of the park lies the
Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie The Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie (, "City of Science and Industry", abbreviated la CSI) or simply CSI is a large science museum in Europe. Located in the Parc de la Villette in Paris, France, it is one of the three dozen French Cultural ...
, the largest science museum in Europe. There are a convention center and an I-MAX theatre. The park acts as a connection between these exterior functions. Concerts are scheduled year-round, hosting local and mainstream musicians. Dividing the park is the
Canal de l'Ourcq The Canal de l'Ourcq () is a long canal in the Île-de-France region (greater Paris) with 10 locks. It was built at a width of but was enlarged to 3.7 m (12 ft), which permitted use by more pleasure boats. The canal begins at Port ...
, which has boat tours that transport visitors around the park and to other sites in Paris. Festivals are common in the park along with artist conventions and shows by performers. The Parc de la Villette hosts an annual open-air film festival. In 2010 the festival's theme was "To Be 20" ("Avoir 20 ans") and featured films about youth and self-discovery around the age of 20. In 2010 films were shown by American filmmakers
Woody Allen Heywood Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Allen has received many List of awards and nominations received by Woody Allen, accolade ...
and
Sofia Coppola Sofia Carmina Coppola ( , ; born May 14, 1971) is an American filmmaker and former actress. She has List of awards and nominations received by Sofia Coppola, won an Academy Awards, Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, a Golden Lion, and a Can ...
as well as French and international filmmakers.


Gardens

The Parc de la Villette has a collection of ten themed gardens that attract a large number of the park's visitors. Each garden is created with a different representation of architectural deconstructionism and tries to create space through playfully sculptural and clever means. While some of the gardens are minimalist in design, others are clearly constructed with children in mind. The "Jardin du Dragon" (The Garden of the Dragon) is home to a large sculptural steel dragon that has an 80-foot slide for children to play on. The "Jardin de Bambou" (Bamboo Garden) at the Parc de la Villette was designed by
Alexandre Chemetoff Alexandre Chemetoff (born 1950) is a French architect, urban planner and landscape artist. In 2000, he was awarded the Grand Prix de l'urbanisme. His approach to project development is to visit the site, walk it, and then connect it with other ex ...
, winner of the Grand Prix de l'urbanisme (2000). The "Jardin de la Treille" (Trellis Garden) designed by Gilles Vexlard and Laurence Vacherot. Vines and creepers are going along a roof trellis and 90 small fountains designed so that you only really hear the murmur of them in between the grape vines. 7 ''Sculptures de visées'' ( Sculptures Bachelard) by
Jean-Max Albert Jean-Max Albert (born 1942) is a French painter, sculptor, writer, and musician. He has published theory, books on artists, and a collection of poems, plays and novels inspired by quantum physics. He perpetuated experiments initiated by Paul Klee ...
are installed all around and an anamorphosis reflection is displayed in a small pool. The gardens range in function; where some gardens are meant for active engagement, others exist to play off of curiosity and investigation or merely allow for relaxation.


Follies

Probably the most iconic pieces of the park, the
follies ''Follies'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The plot centers on a crumbling Broadway theater, now scheduled for demolition, previously home to a musical revue (based on the ''Ziegfeld Follies ...
act as architectural representations of deconstruction. In architecture, a folly (in French, ''folie'') is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but suggesting by its appearance some other purpose, or so extravagant that it transcends the normal range of garden ornaments or other class of building to which it belongs. Architecturally, the follies are meant to act as points of reference that help visitors gain a sense of direction and navigate throughout the space. Twenty-six follies, made of metal and painted bright red, are placed on a grid and offer a distinct organization to the park. Each is identified by a name and a code letter-number. Architecturally, the follies are meant to act as points of reference that help visitors gain a sense of direction and navigate throughout the space. While the follies are meant to exist in a deconstructive vacuum without historical relation, many have found connections between the steel structures and the previous buildings that were part of the old industrial fabric of the area. Today, the follies remain as cues to organization and direction for park visitors. Some of them house restaurants, information centers, and other functions associated with the park's needs.


Architectural deconstructivism and the park

There have been many criticisms of the innovative design of the park since its original completion. To some, the park has little concern with the human scale of park functions and the vast open space seem to challenge the expectation that visitors may have of an urban park. Bernard Tschumi designed the Parc de la Villette with the intention of creating a space that exists in a vacuum, something without historical precedent. The park strives to strip down the signage and conventional representations that have infiltrated architectural design and allow for the existence of a “non-place.” This non-place, envisioned by Tschumi, is the most appropriate example of space and provides a truly honest relationship between the subject and the object. Visitors view and react to the plan, landscaping, and sculptural pieces without the ability to cross-reference them with previous works of historical architecture. The design of the park capitalizes on the innate qualities that are illustrated within architectural deconstructivism. By allowing visitors to experience the architecture of the park within this constructed vacuum, the time, recognitions, and activities that take place in that space begin to acquire a more vivid and authentic nature. The park is not acting as a spectacle; it is not an example of traditional park design such as New York City's
Central Park Central Park is an urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City, and the first landscaped park in the United States. It is the List of parks in New York City, sixth-largest park in the ...
. The Parc de la Villette strives to act as merely a frame for other cultural interaction. The park embodies anti-tourism, not allowing visitors to breeze through the site and pick and choose the sites they want to see. Upon arrival in the park, visitors are thrust into a world that is not defined by conventional architectural relationships. The frame of the park, due to its roots in deconstructivism, tries to change and react to the functions that it holds within.Bernard Tschumi and Yokio Futagawa Bernard Tschumi “Parc de la Villette” (A.D.A. Edita, 1997) p. 32


See also

*
List of tourist attractions in Paris Paris, the capital of France, has an annual 30 million foreign visitors, and so is one of the most visited cities in the world. Paris's sights include monuments and architecture, such as its Arc de Triomphe, Eiffel Tower and neo-classic Baron H ...
* World Architecture Survey


References


External links


Parc de la Villette websiteGalinsky: Parc de la VilletteImages and Links
Resource collection
Follies Parc de la Villette
3D model of two of the Follies {{Coord, 48, 53, 40, N, 2, 23, 19, E 19th arrondissement of Paris Villette, Parc de la Deconstructivism Landscape architecture Bernard Tschumi buildings