Quai de la Loire, Riverfront path in 19th arrondissement, France
Quai de la Loire is an 850-meter-long waterfront path in the 19th arrondissement that runs alongside the canal. The roughly 12-meter wide walkway accommodates pedestrians and cyclists while connecting different parts of the Villette neighborhood.
The road, first known as route départementale no. 76, was laid out as a quay in 1829 after the Canal de l'Ourcq was built and the Bassin de la Villette filled with water. It took its present name in 1857. On 30 January 1918, during the First World War, German aircraft hit buildings at nos. 88, 90 and 98.
The quay evolved into a hub for water sports and recreation, where visitors can paddle kayaks and explore the canal today. The surrounding buildings show how this area transformed from industrial work into a place where people enjoy leisure activities.
The quay runs one-way from Rue de Crimée to the Place de la Bataille de Stalingrad, near the La Villette lock. Jaurès station is served by metro lines 2, 5 and 7 bis. The paved walkway along the water has yellow mooring bollards and a red-and-white striped post with a hoop-shaped wheel.
The warehouses at 41 bis to 49 quai de la Loire and 147 rue de Crimée, built between 1845 and 1853, stored goods for the Magasins généraux until 1974. Abandoned, they were occupied by artists and served as a set for Jean-Jacques Beineix's 1981 film Diva. One was later converted into a youth hostel, the other into a student residence with a nautical society offering kayaking and rowing lessons.
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