Parc forestier de la Poudrerie, National Wildlife Refuge in Sevran, France
Parc forestier de la Poudrerie is a large nature reserve in Sevran with dense woodland, including many old trees, plus around 300 buildings remaining from its time as a factory. The site is crossed by a broad network of walking paths that let visitors move through the forested area.
The site was established in 1865 as a gunpowder factory under Napoleon III and produced explosives until closing in 1973. After shutdown, the grounds were converted into a nature reserve while keeping the historic structures.
The name references its industrial past as a powder factory, and today visitors can explore old factory buildings woven into the green landscape. This blend of industrial structures and nature shapes how the site looks and tells the story of its dual identity as a production facility and later as a nature reserve.
The grounds are easy to reach by public transit and offer numerous paths for walking and exploring at different difficulty levels. Visitors should wear sturdy shoes, especially after rain, since some paths pass through forest and can have varying ground conditions.
The grounds preserve remains of railway tracks and brick archways that show how materials were once moved and stored. These architectural leftovers are now woven into the forest landscape and give visitors an unexpected sense of the site's former activity.
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