Paris-Plages
Paris-Plages( "Paris Beaches"; until 2006Paris-Plagein the singular) is a plan run by the office of themayor of Paristhat creates temporaryartificial beacheseach summer along the riverSeinein the centre ofParis,and, since 2007, along theBassin de la Villettein the northeast of Paris. Every July and August, roadways on the banks of the Seine are closed off and host various activities, including sandy beaches and palm trees.
History
[edit]French city-dwellers traditionally escape to the seaside or the countryside during the summer, especially in August. Paris is avoided, as the weather is unpleasantly hot and humid, and the centre has many tourists. Nevertheless, each summer many residents are obliged to remain in the city, however reluctantly. The Paris-Plages scheme was instigated in 2002 byBertrand Delanoë,the newly electedSocialist Partymayor, as a haven for relieving the misery of those cooped up in the sweltering city.
Initially there was a single beach on theRive Droite.In 2006, a second beach was added on theRive Gauche,and the scheme's name changed from singular to plural.[1]Unlike many beaches in France,topless sunbathingis not permitted. Swimming in the Seine is also not permitted, for safety reasons.[2]
The scheme has proven a major success; the number of visitors has grown each year and topped four million in 2007. Every season, new features are added.[2]These include a shuttleferrylinking the two riverbanks, a floatingswimming pool,and another beach area atLa Villette,in the northeast corner of the city.
The beaches were built free of charge byLafargeHolcimfrom 2002 to 2017, when the city of Paris discontinued their contract in retaliation for LafargeHolcim's proposal tobuild the wallon theMexico–United States borderpromised by U.S. PresidentDonald Trump.[3]
Le Touquet naming dispute
[edit]The name "Paris-Plage" wastrademarkedin 2002. In August 2006, the mayor's office sued thecommuneofLe Touquet-Paris-Plagefor impinging on the trademark by using the phrase "Paris-Plage" in its tourism marketing. This was greeted with scepticism, since the commune's name dated from 1912, based on earlier popular usage. The case was dropped in 2008.[4][5]
References
[edit]- ^De Paris-Plage en Paris-Plages, la mairie de Paris a perdu sa bataille contre Le Touquet20 July 2009
- ^abParis PlageArchived2008-01-05 at theWayback Machine— Great Public Spaces
- ^Baghdijan, Alice; Nussbaum, Ania (March 29, 2017)."Paris Boycotts LafargeHolcim in Protest Over Trump's Mexico Wall".Bloomberg.RetrievedMay 4,2017.
- ^Appellation - Bataille autour de "Paris-Plage"
- ^Le Touquet-Paris-Plage et Paris-Plage: vers la paix des braves(27/01/2008)
External links
[edit]
Media related toParis Plagesat Wikimedia Commons
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