Porte d'Aubervilliers

The Porte d'Aubervilliers is a city gate in the 19th arrondissement that marks the boundary between Paris and the neighboring city of Aubervilliers. The gate sits above the Boulevard Périphérique and opens onto a circular plaza now called Place Skanderbeg.

The gate originated from an older fortification system known as bastion 32 of the Thiers fortification, which functioned as a tax control point until the 1860s. After the fortifications were dismantled, the location became a transition point between Paris and surrounding areas.

Between 1934 and 1936, the area surrounding the gate transformed into a residential district with buildings designed to accommodate 6,000 residents.

The gate is accessible via Avenue Victor-Hugo and Rue de la Haie-Coq, both served by tramway line 3 and connecting to the Boulevard Périphérique. The area is easy to navigate on foot, offering routes between central Paris and the outer neighborhoods.

Since the early 2000s, modern buildings like the Icade headquarters and the Millénaire shopping center have significantly transformed the area around the gate. This development turned what was once a simple passage point into an active zone with shops and offices.