Viaduc des Arts and the Promenade Plantee

Viaduc des Arts and the Promenade Plantee

A few days ago, I tried for the umpteenth time to find the Promenade Plantee, an elevated park that was created in the early '90s and serves as a green space in the city.  It runs about 3 miles from the Bastille to the Bois de Vincennes on the eastern outskirts of Paris.  I had read about this park, and it is mentioned in a number of guide books as being "next to" the Bastille Opera House.  On evening walks in the neighborhood, I would circle the Bastille, examining every street emanating from this circular hub, but was never able to find any directional sign or evidence of the park.  I finally went online to see if there were any more specific access instructions and found the park was built upon the old train viaduct that has recently become a center for the creative arts in Paris. 

The Viaduc des Arts was a bit easier to find.  Located just to the east of the opera house, the viaduct is an unmistakeable succession of red brick arches that once supported a railroad line that fell into disuse when the Bastille train stain was torn down to make way for the Opera House.  The arches now house shops, ateliers, boutiques and workshops of artisans and craftsmen who carry on the long tradition of Paris as a world class artistic center.  The viaduct also supports the Promenade which is built atop the structure.

Looking up, I could see the Promenade Plantee on the "roof" of the shops but the point of access remained a mystery.   So I continued walking and peering in the windows or poking about the shops along the way.  There were violin and guitar makers, sculptors, wood working shops making custom furniture, jewelry workshops, a sewing and embroidery shop, and many more.  Shopkeepers and artisans would welcome you into their showrooms and let you peer into production space as they proudly showed off their creations.

Here are just a few:

 One-of-a-kind table-- metal branch base with glass top

One piece of teak shaped into a shelf/wall decor extending the entire length of the sofa.  Pretty spiffy way to display books and knick knacks!

A designer umbrella and walking stick company.  Extraordinary range of choices!

Stone bath fixtures.  This is a slanted piece of granite forming a sink (see the faucets?)  The drain is the slit where the tilted piece tips downward toward the faucets.  Ultimate in uber-modern design!

What creative minds and talented artists!  A real treat to see it all concentrated in one long street.

As I moved down the street examining block after block of shops, I saw a woman descending a narrow staircase with a baby in a stroller.  I asked if this was the access to the Promenade and she said yes.  EUREKA!  The obscure staircase had no sign, and I would have missed it entirely if she hadn't been struggling with a stroller.

So I went up to the Promenade and began a fairly long stroll through the lovely plantings, gardens, and small ponds, with park benches placed strategically along the way.  There were runners, gossiping grandmothers, retirees reading the newspaper, workers on their lunch hour eating a sandwich, teenagers on cell phones, and couples deep in conversation or just strolling hand in hand.  

Unfortunately, there is one section that had been hit by graffiti and I found it sad (to say the least) that anyone would want to mar such a beautiful place with spray paint!  Overall, it was a peaceful, quiet green space in the heart of the city and a brilliant idea for urban development.  Apparently New York City's High Line was inspired by the Promenade Plantee and other cities around the world have began to experiment with the idea as part of urban renewal projects.

I love how Paris continues to evolve…. but always in its own special, distinctive way.