Tucked away in the heart of Paris’s bustling 2nd arrondissement, Avenue de l’Oasis offers a surprising contrast to the city’s usual gray facades. This vertical garden, a vibrant tapestry of green, brown, and yellow, climbs the wall of a building at the intersection of Rue d’Aboukir and Rue des Petits Carreaux. Avenue de l’Oasis isn’t your typical Parisian avenue. It’s a 250-square-meter living artwork, bursting with 7,600 plants and 237 different species. Imagine fuchsias, bergenias, and geraniums, their vibrant colors popping against the surrounding stone. This urban oasis was conceived by Patrick Blanc, a renowned botanist and vertical garden designer. Avenue de l’Oasis, completed in 2013, stands as a testament to his vision. Blanc, also known for his work at the Musée du quai Branly and the Cité des Sciences, transformed this unassuming corner into a breathtaking spectacle of nature. The project, a collaboration between Blanc, the building’s owner, and the 2nd arrondissement city hall, took only three months to complete. Today, Avenue de l’Oasis flourishes thanks to a meticulous maintenance routine. An automatic watering system nourishes the plants every four hours, and an annual pruning keeps this urban jungle from overflowing its boundaries. This unique urban oasis offers a welcome splash of green in the 2nd arrondissement. It also highlights the innovative possibilities of vertical gardening, turning a simple wall into a vibrant, living ecosystem. Avenue de l’Oasis serves as a reminder that nature can thrive even in the most unexpected urban spaces.
Église Notre-Dame de l’Air
Beneath what appears to be a simple stone and wood structure lies a history interwoven with faith aviation and community.