Place de la Bataille-de-Stalingrad

The Place de la Bataille-de-Stalingrad sits at a crucial junction where the Canal Saint-Martin flows into the Bassin de la Villette. This space was originally a busy traffic circle and bus terminal, but it underwent a dramatic transformation in the late nineteen eighties to become the pedestrian-oriented square you see today. The redesign rerouted the boulevard to pass beneath the elevated metro lines, creating a quiet, open area that links the city's streets directly to the water. A silver linden tree stands in the square, planted in nineteen forty-five by General Charles de Gaulle to commemorate the Liberation of Paris.