Continuation of the history of Parc de la Villette, in collaboration with the Public Establishment of the Parc and the Grande Halle de la Villette. Historical overview from 1979 to 2002.

1979: Birth of the public Establishment

Birth of the Public Establishment of the Parc de La Villette, an administrative organization that took on the restoration of the 55-hectare industrial wasteland.

1982: Architectural competition of the park

Launching of the architectural competition. The French architect of Swiss origin, Bernard Tschumi, was selected. The site was to be a meeting point between urbanism and the way of life, the arts and the sciences, Paris and its suburbs. La Villette entered the framework of the Grands Travaux of François Mitterrand, the new President.

1984: The Zénith

Inauguration of the Zénith, designed by Philippe Chaix and Jean-Paul Morel. In 1981, the Ministry for the Arts decided to design an auditorium with a large seating capacity, adapted to rock and other kinds of popular music, and inaugurated the concept of the concert hall for present-day music with the Zénith de Paris. The capacity of the Zénith de Paris is of 6400 seats.

Janvier 1985: The Grande Halle

Inauguration of the Grande Halle, an old cattle market whose rebuilding was entrusted to Bernard Reichen and Philippe Robert. The building made of glass and steel, in the tradition of the Halles Baltard, was dedicated to events, shows and exhibitions, etc.

Mai 1985: The Géode

Inauguration of the Géode, the biggest cinema in France with its hemispheric screen of 1000 m2. Adrien Fainsilber and Gérard Chamayou designed the Géode according to the geodesic architecture principles of Richard Buckminster Fuller.

1986: The Cité des Sciences

Inauguration of the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie on 13 March, 1986 by the President of the Republic François Mitterrand just as Halley’s Comet met the European probe Giotto. The architect in charge of the building was Adrien Fainsilber. The Cité des Sciences groups together the Cité des Enfants, the Cité des Métiers (in partnership with the ONISEP*), the Cité de la Santé, and a scientific multimedia library.

*ONISEP: French Office of Information on Jobs and Careers

1987: The Parc de la Villette

Inauguration du Parc de la Villette - Serge Golberd, François Mitterrand, Bernard Tschumi © FX Bouchart

Inauguration of the Parc de La Villette, designed by Bernard Tschumi. With its 35 hectares, it is the biggest park in Paris. A great place of expression, it is home to many street perfomance shows, circus shows, free open-air cinema and great exhibitions.

1990

Inauguration of the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. Stuck in its old premises of the Rue de Madrid, which it had been occupying since the beginning of the 20th century, the CNSMDP (the first French higher establishment of dance and music education) moved to the site of La Villette, on the Porte de Pantin side, close to the Grande Halle. It was the first cultural building of the Parc de La Villette, but was institutionally the oldest (the “Conservatoire National de Musique” was created on 3 August, 1795). The architecture was entrusted to Christian de Portzamparc.

1995: The Cité de la Musique

Inauguration – shortly before the bicentenary of the Conservatoire – of the Cité de la Musique, which has also been entrusted to Christian de Portzamparc. A special place for the broadcasting of all classical music, it gave Paris its first adjustable auditorium for this repertoire. The Cité de la Musique, which is the nerve centre of a cultural information network, comprises, besides the auditoriums, a significant multimedia library and an educational department. The Cité de la Musique also offers a season of concerts organized in cycles and made to connect with temporary exhibitions. The Cité de la Musique is the place of residence of the Ensemble Intercontemporain and the Centre de Documentation de la Musique Contemporaine.

Cité de la musique - © Médiathèque-cité-musique

1997: The Musée de la Musique

Inauguration, within the Cité de la Musique, of its museum, which brings together one of the greatest mergings of musical instruments, of which one of the three existing octobasses (bass of the double bass), the guitar of Hector Berlioz, the Parisian pianos of Chopin and Liszt, the wind instruments created by Adolphe Sax, etc.