Did you know? An airport almost saw the light of day on Île aux Cygnes, in the heart of Paris

Tourists sometimes expect to see the Eiffel Tower when landing in the airports from the French capital, and are quickly disappointed when arriving at Orly or Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle. And yet, it could have existed, if the modernist architect's project André Lurçat had finally seen the light of day! In the third issue of the magazine L'Architecture d'oyenne, published in 1932 and visible on the website of the Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine, we learn that a airport had been envisaged on Île aux Cygnes !

Thanks to these archives, we glimpse this crazy project of André Lurçat, founding member of the International Congress of Modern Architecture (CIAM), who wanted to integrate urban aviation right in the middle of the capital, in front of the Eiffel Tower, on the artificial island 900m longfamous for its replica of the Statue of Liberty and its pretty wooded park with views.

A elevated landing strip with hangars underneath had been imagined, but obviously, this was never possible because of the small size of the runway, already incompatible with the planes of the time, but also the noise for local residents and the loss of this space, a true green lung of the neighborhood. Today it is difficult to imagine the huge airliners taking off or landing on the Seine…

Did you know? discover the anecdotes, places and unusual stories of Paris
Do you really know everything about Paris? We reveal anecdotes, places and unusual stories that take you to discover the secrets of the capital! [Lire la suite]