Picture a long path stretching before you. This is the Avenue de Gravelle. It’s a place where Paris meets the edge of the Bois de Vincennes.
The Avenue de Gravelle is not just any street. It marks a boundary. One side belongs to Paris. The other side is shared by Charenton-le-Pont and Saint-Maurice.
This avenue in Paris’s 12th arrondissement has a story rooted in the city’s expansion. In 1861 Paris acquired the plaine de Vincennes. The city wanted to create the Bois de Vincennes. The Avenue de Gravelle was then traced along the edge of this new green space.
The land between the Avenue de Gravelle and the rue de Paris was divided into lots. These lots were sold for homes and buildings. A decree annexed the Bois de Vincennes. Since then the Avenue de Gravelle has marked the boundary between Paris and its neighboring towns.
The Avenue de Gravelle got its name from the Gravelle plateau. This name existed even before 1879. The avenue stretches 4600 meters long and 20 meters wide.
Imagine walking from the Avenue des Canadiens to the Avenue de la Porte-de-Charenton. That’s the length of the Avenue de Gravelle. You would be walking along the southern edge of the Bois de Vincennes.
The Avenue de Gravelle begins at the intersection of Avenue de la Porte-de-Charenton and Rue de Paris in Charenton-le-Pont. It’s also the starting point for Rue de Valmy and Avenue de la Liberté on the Charenton side.
As you continue you’ll pass Avenue Anatole-France. Then you reach the intersection of Avenue de Saint-Maurice and Avenue du Maréchal-de-Lattre-de-Tassigny. Further on the Avenue de Gravelle marks the beginning of Rue du Val d’Osne and Avenue de l’École-de-Joinville.
The avenue then passes the Centre de rétention administrative Paris 1. It crosses the A4 motorway. Finally it ends at the intersection of the D 4 and D 23.
The Avenue de Gravelle isn’t just a road. It’s a border. It’s a piece of Parisian history. As you walk along, remember the story of how Paris grew. Remember how this avenue became the line between the city and its neighbors. It is a boundary. It is also a connector.