How about visiting old factories for the Journées du Patrimoine 2024 ? The Journées du Patrimoine (Heritage Days ) are making a comeback on Saturday September 21 and Sunday September 22, 2024 in Paris and elsewhere in France. For two days, the most curious can push open the doors of must-see places, historic monuments, major institutions, churches, numerous museums, châteaux and even hidden spots !
Here's a not-to-be-missed opportunity for fans of unusual outings! On the occasion of the 40th Journées du Patrimoine, the former Babcock & Wilcox factories open their doors to you for free tours !
Located in the heart of La Courneuve, this industrial site with its monumental architecture is rarely open to the public. For the record, it was in 1898 that the French company Babcock et Wilcox was founded in Seine-Saint-Denis. In 1900, the Babcock boiler won the grand prize at the Exposition Universelle. In 1930, the company became France's leading manufacturer of industrial boilers. After many successful years, the site finally closed its doors in 2012.
Since then, the site has been taken over by numerous street artists and rehabilitated as a " Fabrique des cultures ", described as a unique living space drawing on the site's memory, and combining a major cultural and leisure facility with housing designed to meet new lifestyles. It is now a perfect example of the challenges of reconverting an industrial site.
For the Journées du Patrimoine 2024, come and discover the Babcock & Wilcox industrial site and its urban art trail free of charge. Two guides will be on hand to answer your questions.
The Babcock and Wilcox factories have left their mark on the landscape and the lives of the people of La Courneuve, and continue to be transformed.
Discover La Babcockerie's urban art trail and the project to transform it into a Fabrique des Cultures during a two-voice guided tour.
The Babcock and Wilcox factories have left their mark on the landscape and the lives of the people of La Courneuve since their installation in 1898. Their monumental architecture testifies to the power of the steam boilers produced by the plant and destined to equip the country's power stations.
Covering almost 18 hectares, and employing up to 2,500 people, the factory was one of the largest in the northern suburbs at the time. A hotbed of Parisian metallurgy from which several political figures from the red suburbs emerged.
Closed in 2012, the factory underwent major transformations. In 2018, it received the Banque de France's new fiduciary center. In the same year, Compagnie de Phalsbourg and Emerige are planning their Fabrique des Cultures, a mixed-use urban district with a cultural focus.
Since 2020, on the initiative of three graffiti artists, Zkor, Sto and Namaste, the site has been transformed into a veritable underground museum. This industrial cathedral is overrun with lettering, stained glass, figurative drawings and anamorphoses. More than 130 artists freely intervened to paint in situ, build installations using objects found on site, or perform, dance and sing. The artists formed an informal collective called La Babcockerie to showcase their work before it disappears.
Before the buildings are refurbished, come and visit this unique site and immerse yourself in its interior spaces, rarely open to the public!
A project initiated by the cultural heritage department of the Département de la Seine-Saint-Denis, in partnership with the Ville de La Courneuve, the Compagnie de Phalsbourg, the Emerige group and Seine-Saint-Denis Tourisme
Our reading recommendations:
L'histoire de l'ancienne usine Babcock et Wilcox à La Courneuve, Cahiers du patrimoine N°4, Département de la Seine-Saint-Denis, Service du patrimoine culturel, 2016
Heritage Days 2024: must-see sites in Seine-Saint-Denis (93)
The Journées du Patrimoine (Heritage Days) program in Seine-Saint-Denis on September 21 and 22, 2024. The 93 department opens the doors of its century-old factories and buildings. [Read more]
Dates and Opening Time
From September 21, 2024 to September 22, 2024
Location
Babcock & Wilcox plants
80 Rue Emile Zola
93120 Courneuve (La)
Prices
Free
Official website
journeesdupatrimoine.culture.gouv.fr
Heritage Days 2024: must-see sites in Seine-Saint-Denis (93)
