The Gardens of La Coulée Verte, Garden in Paris, France
Les Jardins de La Coulée Verte, also called the Promenade Plantée, is a pedestrian green corridor built on a former railway line in the 12th arrondissement of Paris. The path runs from near the Place de la Bastille to the Bois de Vincennes, passing over a raised viaduct, through underground tunnels, and across several open garden sections at ground level.
The route follows a railway line opened in 1859 that connected Bastille to the eastern suburbs before it closed in the late 1960s. From 1988, the abandoned track was gradually turned into a garden path and opened to the public in 1993.
The Coulée Verte is also known as the Promenade Plantée, a name that reflects its identity as a planted walkway above street level. The arches of the Viaduc des Arts beneath the elevated section now house craft workshops and galleries, which visitors can peer into from the path above.
The path is free to walk and can be entered at several points along Avenue Daumesnil, mostly via staircases or lifts. Comfortable shoes are a good idea since some sections involve steps or narrow passages, and the full length takes a couple of hours at a relaxed pace.
The Coulée Verte was the first project of its kind in the world, an urban green path built on a raised railway, and it directly inspired the creation of New York's High Line. In the underground tunnel sections, bats have made their home in the walls, and decorative artificial grottoes were built to welcome them.
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