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Key figures

Origin and history

Georges-Brassens Park occupies the location of the former Vaughirard slaughterhouses, active from 1894 to 1974, on land formerly dedicated to the vineyards of Perichot in the 18th century, then to vegetable crops. These lands, attached to Paris in 1860 after belonging to the hamlet of Vaugirard, were transformed into an industrial site that caused nuisances (noise, odours), pushing them to closure in 1975. Some architectural elements, such as the horse hall or the market belfry at the auction, were preserved in homage to this story.

Rethought in the 1980s by architects Alexandre Ghiulamila and Jean-Michel Milliex, as well as landscape designer Daniel Collin, the park was inaugurated in 1985. It incorporates references to its past: sculptures of bulls or of the Meat Porter of Albert Bouquillon, and preserves a vineyard of 1,200 m2 (700 feet of pinot black), vestige of the old vineyards. The wine produced, Clos des Morillons, is auctioned for local social works, perpetuating a Parisian wine tradition.

The park also houses cultural facilities such as the Silvia-Monfort Theatre, a puppet theatre, and an ancient book market in the Horse Hall since 1987. Crossed by the trench of the Petite Belt, it combines heritage (memory doors, statues of Isidore Bonheur or François-Xavier Lalanne) and contemporary activities. His name pays tribute to Georges Brassens, who lived nearby, at 42 Santos-Dumont Street (15th) and the Florimont impasse (14th).

In popular culture, the park appears in works such as the clip Raisonne d'Astonvilla (2001), the novel Des unknowns by Patrick Modiano (1999), or the song Brassens en plein pear by Benoît Dorémus (2016). A scene from the film Le Pont du Nord (Jacques Rivette, 1980) shows the demolition of slaughterhouses, showing its transition from industrial memory to urban green space.

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