Bassin de l'Arsenal

Port de l'Arsenal

class=notpageimage|

Bassin de l'Arsenal

The Bassin de l'Arsenal (also known as the Port de l'Arsenal) is a boat basin in Paris. It links the Canal Saint-Martin, which begins at the Place de la Bastille, to the Seine, at the Quai de la Rapée. A component of the Réseau des Canaux Parisiens (Parisian Canal Network), it forms part of the boundary between the 4th and the 12th arrondissements. It is bordered by the Boulevard Bourdon on the 4th (westerly) side and the Boulevard de la Bastille on the 12th (easterly) side.

From the 16th century until the 19th, an arsenal existed at this location. The arsenal accounts for the name of the basin and the name of the neighborhood, Arsenal, bordering the westerly (4th arrondissement) side of the basin.

The destruction of the Bastille with the fossé (ditch) in the foreground. The fossé was later converted into the Bassin de l'Arsenal.

After the destruction of the Bastille fortress in November 1789 (during the French Revolution), the Bassin de l'Arsenal was excavated to replace the ditch that had been in place to draw water from the Seine to fill the moat at the fortress.

During the nineteenth century and most of the twentieth, the Bassin de l'Arsenal was a commercial port where goods were loaded and unloaded. Separated from the Seine by the Morland lockgate, the port was converted into a leisure port in 1983 by a decision of the Mairie de Paris (Paris City Hall) and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and it is now run by the Association for the Leisure Port of Paris-Arsenal.

The basin is part of France's national Voies navigables de France (VNF, Navigable Waterways of France) system. Since that time, it has been a marina (in French, a port de plaisance), for approximately 180 pleasure boats.

Port de l'Arsenal, Colonne de Juillet and Opera Bastille

Bassin de l'Arsenal and Colonne de Juillet at night.

Metro stations

The Bassin de l'Arsenal is located between the Paris Métro stations Quai de la Rapée and Bastille (except the Line 1 platforms, which crosses over the Bassin), and is a short walk from Sully – Morland (Paris Métro). It is served by lines ,, and .

See also

• Bassin de la Villette
• Canal de l'Ourcq
• Canal Saint-Denis
• Canal Saint-Martin
• Place de la Bastille
• Pavillon de l'Arsenal: Created in 1988, the Pavillon is a center for information, documentation, and expositions concerning urban planning and architecture.
• Caserne des Célestins of the Garde Républicaine: The ceremonial unit of the French Gendarmerie.
• Pont de Sully: The closest bridge across the Seine.
• Square Henri Galli: Contains vestiges of the Bastille fortress.
• Bibliothèque nationale de France: An important branch of the great library, one frequented by Victor Hugo, is near the boat basin.
• Prefecture de Police: Part of the French National Police, which provides the police force for the city of Paris and the surrounding three départements (Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, and Val-de-Marne.)
• Opéra Bastille: A modern opera house, it is the home of the Opéra National de Paris.
• Quinze-Vingts Hospital: The National Hospital Center for Ophthalmology (CHNO).
• Institut de la Vision (Paris): Associated with the CHNO.
• La Poste: The main post office of Paris is nearby.
• Lycée Professionnel Chennevières Malezieux: At 33 Avenue Ledru-Rollin.