Petite Ceinture du 15e (PC 15)

You are approaching a relic of the mid-nineteenth century that once physically locked the city of Paris into a single, cohesive unit. Known as the Petite Ceinture, or Little Belt, this railway was inaugurated in eighteen fifty-two to provide a vital circular link between the capital's main train stations. Before its construction, these stations were isolated ends of their own individual lines, and the city’s outlying districts functioned more like separate villages than parts of a modern metropolis. By connecting these hubs, the railway allowed goods and people to finally flow around the perimeter of Paris rather than just into its center.