Lac de Saint-Mandé, Artificial lake in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, France
Lac de Saint-Mandé is an artificial lake set within the Bois de Vincennes, the large park in the eastern part of Paris, in the 12th arrondissement. It has an oval shape, a small island at its center, and is edged by trees and grass on all sides.
The site was originally a natural pond fed by a small stream from the hills of Montreuil, used as a fish farm during the Middle Ages. It was filled in during the 18th century, and the current lake was dug in 1860 as part of the redesign of the Bois de Vincennes into a public park.
The name of the lake comes from the nearby town of Saint-Mandé, which even placed the water in its coat of arms. Three wavy silver lines on that shield represent the lake, showing how closely the local identity is tied to this spot.
The lake is freely accessible all year round, and a short path circles the entire edge in just a few minutes on foot. The closest metro stop is Saint-Mandé on line 1, and several bus routes also stop nearby.
In 1966, a species of nanoplankton never described before was found in the lake, a rare scientific find in the middle of a city. The small island at the center is off-limits to visitors and serves as an undisturbed refuge for ducks, swans, and other water birds.
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