Bassin de La Villette

Completed in 1808, the basin is 700m long, 70m wide, and 25m above the level of the Seine. It is a non-drinking water reservoir for Pair. The daily water consumption of the capital is 380,000 square meters (180,000 square meters of which is supplied by this basin). The water is used for watering landscapes, cleaning the streets, and for some fountains (Innocents Fountain in the Halles). The remaining 200,000 square meters come from the Seine.
In the 19th century, this basin was an outing area and meeting place for Parisians. It was edged with a double row of gardens and trees. This is where the famour "Guingettes" or cafes were (for instance, Chez la Mere Radig which led to the Montmartre style, because the owner greeted her clients with insults!).

During very cold winters (1810, 1820, 1821, 1827), it was possible to ice skate and to have sledge races on the basin. The city of Paris wants to restore the basin to its 19th century look. The warehouses which surround it will be either renovated or destroyed to make room for 32,000 square meters of landscaped areas.

The basin is closed by the Crimea Lift Bridge. The old general stores are located on both sides of the basin and are now being used by artists, painters, and sculptors.

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This is the largest open water space in Paris. At the opposite end, this basin meets the Canal de l’Ourcq which brings the water to the canal system from the river Ourcq, some 100 km (60 miles) away. The basin is actually in two parts; a larger one (700 x 70 m = 2300 x 230 ft) and a second more narrow one (730 x 30 m = 2400 x 100 ft). They are separated by a hydraulic lift-bridge from 1885, still functioning and causing some traffic jams when it nowadays occasionally has to be opened (or lifted).

The larger part of the basin was in the beginning of the 19th century, just after its construction, surrounded by green areas and it was popular to come here for picnics in the summer and for skating in the winter. (Yes, the climate is getting warmer – no ice here anymore.) It served as an enormous reservoir of drinking water. During the second part of the 19th century, the basin became more and more industrial and the port activities were at a time considerable (same volumes as in the port of Bordeaux). Some of the old administrative and warehouse buildings (partly tagged) are still there.

Nowadays, both basins are basically surrounded by modern apartment and office buildings, but around the larger part of the basin you can also find some more distracting activities. There are two multiplex cinemas, one on each side of the basin, belonging to the same company - offering a boat trip from one quay to the other. There are some installations for kids to play, some statues (including a laying Eiffel-tower-like one), some cafés and restaurants, some barges used as theatres… Part of July-August the Paris-Plages is now also installed here with a lot of “beach-activities”, as along the Seine river (see my post from July 21, 2007). This is also the base for a number of sightseeing boats, which can bring you along the Canal Saint Martin or elsewhere.

At the end of the basin, where the Canal Saint Martin begins (or ends) you will find a round building, the “Rotonde de la Villette”, which dates from around 1787 and was part of the wall “Fermiers Généraux” (served as office), built around what was those day’s smaller Paris, to enable tax collection for food, beverages, building material etc. entering the city; a very unpopular tax which was stopped a few years later, immediately after the Revolution. The building will now be transformed into some kind of small cultural centre.