Allée des Cygnes

The Allée des Cygnes is an artificial island, a narrow, man-made strip of land stretching eight hundred and fifty meters down the middle of the Seine. It was constructed in eighteen twenty-seven to serve as a breakwater and a support structure for the bridges crossing the river. While it is now a peaceful, tree-lined walkway, its history includes stints as a site for river traffic management and even a colonial exhibition space for the nineteen thirty-seven Universal Exposition. You are currently walking on a space that was designed strictly for utility, but which evolved into one of the city's most quiet, elongated parks.