Petite Ceinture du 13e arrondissement

The Petite Ceinture is a rusted iron railway track circling Paris, reclaimed by thickets of wildflowers and tall grasses. Built in the mid-nineteenth century, this circular line moved freight and soldiers around the city perimeter long before the subway existed. When the trains stopped running in nineteen thirty-four, the steel rails remained, slowly vanishing beneath wild ivy and brambles. It became a silent, forgotten scar of iron cutting through the city, until the city began opening specific sections for walkers and neighborhood gardens.