Esplanade de La Defense
Esplanade de La Defense is a Metro Station on the Red Line of the Paris Metro
The Esplanade de La Defense is also a promenade covering the distance from this Metro Station to the Grand Arche de La Defense
It is well designed and landscaped. After a competition, an American was chosen to design this space
Interesting Facts:
The Esplanade de La Defense is laid-out on an axis which connects the Grande Arch de La Defense with La Louvre, bisecting the Arc de Triomphe, tranveling down the Champs Elysee, and throught he Tuillerie Gardens to the Arc de Triomphe de Carousell at La Louvre (a distance of 5 miles)
The Arche de La Defense (Grande Arche de la Fraternité) was proposed by French President Francois Mitterand in a flurry of Big Ideas (Grands Projets of François Mitterrand) which included:
-Grande Arche de La Défense
-Musee d’Orsay
-Louvre Pyramid
(just to name a few of these “projets”)
Video Reference:
Monty Don’s French Gardens (Netflix)
A wealth of information about the Esplanade de La Defense
Including which trees line the esplanade, for their ability to resist polution
(and shed their bark constantly)
Paris for the Holidays 