The graffiti haters are going to turn up their noses at this, the blasé Parisians will scoff that it's been done to death, but this is one of those gems that has been sitting under everyone's noses for years, unappreciated as a local "oh, everyone's done that" attraction.
Nonetheless, the Piscine Molitor has an underappreciated architectural beauty to it, one of the greater examples of 1920s leisure aesthetics in the city. Abandoned for over 20 years, it was hardly empty, hosting raves, squatters, taggers, drunk teenagers, and anyone else who happened to have a key or a ladder. As a result, even the tags are fairly remarkable, covering almost every square inch of the place. And yet, the beautiful iron and glass roof over the East basin is mostly intact.
It was one of the big must-sees on my list of Parisian attractions, and I finally managed to get inside less than a month before leaving, after skulking around the outside, ladderless, trying to spot a window or drain that would get me access.
These are probably the last picture before it's turned into the atrium and bar of a four-star hotel - kind of a cool idea in itself. Although given its history, a five-star one would be more appropriate.
Nonetheless, the Piscine Molitor has an underappreciated architectural beauty to it, one of the greater examples of 1920s leisure aesthetics in the city. Abandoned for over 20 years, it was hardly empty, hosting raves, squatters, taggers, drunk teenagers, and anyone else who happened to have a key or a ladder. As a result, even the tags are fairly remarkable, covering almost every square inch of the place. And yet, the beautiful iron and glass roof over the East basin is mostly intact.
It was one of the big must-sees on my list of Parisian attractions, and I finally managed to get inside less than a month before leaving, after skulking around the outside, ladderless, trying to spot a window or drain that would get me access.
These are probably the last picture before it's turned into the atrium and bar of a four-star hotel - kind of a cool idea in itself. Although given its history, a five-star one would be more appropriate.
More, as usual, at kosmograd dot net.