Beneath our feet on Rue de la Butte Pinson lies a story of gypsum. It is a story of windmills and war. It is a story of transformation from quarries to a park.
Rue de la Butte Pinson sits on the Butte Pinson. This is one of the hills formed by erosion. The erosion comes from the Paris Basin. The hills of Montmorency and Écouen also formed this way. Butte Pinson is north of Paris. It is shared by Pierrefitte, Villetaneuse, Groslay and Montmagny. It is the first hill north of Paris after Montmartre.
The highest point of Butte Pinson is 108 meters. This is at the Redoute de la Butte Pinson. The Bois de Richebourg reaches 91 meters. Butte Pinson is lower than Montmorency. Montmorency is 186 meters high. The Arra stream separates them. This stream flows from Groslay to the Seine.
Gypsum was mined here. Many miners worked from the Middle Ages to the early 20th century. The geology of Butte Pinson mirrors other hills in the Paris Basin. Layers show different deposits. There are lagoon deposits like marl and gypsum. There are also lake deposits like Pantin marls. Then come lagoon-marine and marine deposits. These include Sannois limestone.
Windmills once stood here. They were known as the Pinson Mills. This was near the Redoute. During the Franco-German War in 1870, invaders occupied this high ground. The Prussians placed artillery batteries on Butte Pinson in 1871. They hid them in a small wood. From there, they bombed Saint-Denis.
In the early 20th century, many guinguettes appeared. These were in the Bois de Richebourg area. One was called Moulin de la Galette. Butte Pinson has marl and gypsum layers. The gypsum is divided into three levels. The first layer was mined in open-air quarries. The second layer was mined underground. The third layer was not mined at Butte Pinson.
Quarries existed in Villetaneuse by 1463. They are visible on a 1770 map. Sand or gypsum was extracted. Gypsum makes plaster. Plaster was a traditional building material. By 1910, quarries were common on Butte Pinson. There were open-air and underground quarries. Villetaneuse council records show conflicts with miners in the 1920s. They were digging under public roads without permission.
By 1934, the Moutonnes and Faucilles quarries had expanded. But their time was ending. By 1962, the quarries were closed. The northern areas became dumps. The Vieujot quarry became a park in the 1980s. It was filled in. Other quarries were filled with waste. The entire Butte Pinson became a regional park. It covers over 120 hectares.
The Redoute de la Butte-Pinson played a role in the Siege of Paris in 1870. Prussian troops set up artillery batteries here. The forts of Briche and Double-Couronne bombarded these positions. Designed in 1875, the Redoute could hold 22 or 23 artillery pieces. A garrison of 151 soldiers could withstand a three-month siege.
During World War I, the Redoute defended Le Bourget airport. In 1940, the Germans installed anti-aircraft guns. General Leclerc’s 2nd DB drove them out. After the war, it housed military radars. The radars protected Le Bourget airport.
Dismantled in 1954, the site was used by Dassault to test radars. In 1973, the site was purchased to prevent a highway project. The goal was to create a park. Today, associations occupy the barracks. Volunteers help maintain the site.
Since 2010, a teaching farm has been located in Montmagny. This farm also welcomes people for reintegration. Worker gardens still exist. They have been maintained for many years.
Today, Butte Pinson is a green space. It stretches from Sarcelles to Villetaneuse. The Île-de-France region manages it. The park reopened after renovations in 2018. It has a playground and walking paths.
Rue de la Butte Pinson offers paths and trails. The “Ruban vert” links Villetaneuse to Montmagny. The “Utrillo” route displays reproductions of his paintings. These paintings depict the site. A few vines remain near Groslay. Shared gardens are near the Arra stream. The park preserves biodiversity. It is an ecological green space. This guarantees ethical and ecological management.
So, as you stroll along Rue de la Butte Pinson remember its layered past. From gypsum mines to a haven for nature. It is a place of constant transformation and surprising resilience.