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Longchamp Hippodrome - Paris 16th

Patrimoine classé
Hippodrome
Paris

Longchamp Hippodrome - Paris 16th

    Hippodrome de Longchamp
    75016 Paris
Hippodrome de Longchamp - Paris 16ème
Hippodrome de Longchamp - Paris 16ème
Hippodrome de Longchamp - Paris 16ème
Hippodrome de Longchamp - Paris 16ème
Hippodrome de Longchamp - Paris 16ème
Hippodrome de Longchamp - Paris 16ème
Hippodrome de Longchamp - Paris 16ème

Timeline

Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1900
2000
1853
Site selection
27 avril 1857
Inauguration
1863
Creation of the Grand Prix de Paris
1920
First Prize of the Arc de Triomphe
1943
Allied bombardment
2015–2018
Major renovation
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Key figures

Napoléon III - Emperor of the French Inaugurate the racetrack in 1857.
Duc de Morny - Project Initiator Promoter of construction in Longchamp.
Antoine-Nicolas Bailly - Architect Designed the racetrack in 1857.
Dominique Perrault - Contemporary architect Directs the renovation of 2015–2018.
Isidore Bonheur - Sculptor Author of the statue *Gladiateur* (1866).
Édouard Manet - Painter Author of the *Courses in Longchamp* (1867).

Origin and history

Longchamp racetrack, located southwest of Boulogne Wood in Paris, was inaugurated on 27 April 1857 under the impulse of the Duke of Morny and Napoleon III. Designed by architect Antoine-Nicolas Bailly, it replaces the former royal abbey of Longchamp, destroyed during the Revolution. The site, granted to the Société d'Encouragement in 1856, quickly became a major place for French horse racing, with initial wooden and plaster stands replaced in 1904 by stone constructions.

The racetrack went through tumultuous periods, serving as a cattle park during the First World War and being bombed in 1870 and 1943. Between the two wars, he experienced a golden age, attracting up to 126,000 spectators in 1926. Key events take place there, such as women's suffrage events in 1936 or concerts and festivals (Rolling Stones, Lollapalooza). The site, owned by the City of Paris, is managed by France Galop and renovated between 2015 and 2018 by architect Dominique Perrault.

Longchamp extends over 57 hectares, with five slopes totalling 17 hectares, including the large 2,750-metre track. It hosts prestigious races such as the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (created in 1920) and the Grand Prix de Paris (1863). The place, also used for parades of 14 July (1880–1914) or World Youth Days in 1997, is a multifunctional space: cycling (ring of 3,600 meters), concerts, and even papal Masses.

Artists such as Édouard Manet (Les Races à Longchamp, 1867) and Edgar Degas immortalized his racing scenes. A statue of the Gladiator horse by Isidore Bonheur (1866) adorns its entrance. Lihippodrome, closed for renovation in 2015, reopens in 2018 with new infrastructures (restaurant, guinguette) aimed at making it a Parisian place of exit beyond its hippo vocation.

His story also reflects his cultural anchor: evoked in Nana d'Émile Zola, he appears in the Lucky Luke drawing (A cowboy in Paris, 2018). Today, it combines heritage, sport, and public events, while remaining a symbol of Parisian equestrian elegance.

External links