The Parc de la Villette (French pronunciation: [paʁk də la vilɛt]) is the third-largest park in Paris, 55.5 hectares (137 acres) 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 (City of Science and Industry, Europe's largest science museum), three major concert venues, and the prestigious Conservatoire de Paris. Parc de la Villette is served by Paris Métro stations Corentin Cariou on Line 7 and Porte de Pantin on Line 5.
History
The park was designed by Bernard Tschumi, 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, 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, and sought the opinions of the deconstructionist philosopher Jacques Derrida 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, 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. These include:
Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie (City of Science and Industry), the largest science museum in Europe; home of the former Vill’Up, a shopping centre opened in November 2016 and closed in 2023 for redevelopment, he had the world’s largest indoor pulsed-air free fall flight simulator, 14 m high, and several cinemas, including IMAX, 4DX and dynamic cinema. Vill’Up was later redeveloped as Boom Boom Villette, a food and leisure market that opened in January 2024. La Géode, an IMAX theatre inside of a 36 metres (118 ft) diameter geodesic dome; Cité de la musique (City of Music), a museum of historical musical instruments with a concert hall, also home of the Conservatoire de Paris; Philharmonie de Paris, a new symphony hall with 2,400 seats for orchestral works, jazz, and world music designed by Jean Nouvel, 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, a concert arena with 6,300 seats for rock and pop music; L'Argonaute, a 50 m-long (160 ft) 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 4,200 square metres (45,000 sq ft) 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 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", 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 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, the park is meant to be a place inspired by the post-modernist architectural ideas of deconstructivism. Tschumi's design was in partial response to the philosophies of Jacques Derrida, acting as an architectural experiment in space (through a reflection on Plato's Khôra), 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 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, 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 and Sofia Coppola as well as French and international filmmakers.
Gardens
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