Parc Pierre-Lagravère

Parc Pierre-Lagravère
Interactive map of Parc Pierre-Lagravère
AddressRue Paul-Bert
LocationColombes, Hauts-de-Seine, France
Public transitParc Pierre-Lagravère
Surface109,129 m2[1]
Construction
Years active1973–present

Parc départemental Pierre-Lagravère, often called by its old name, Parc de l'île Marante, is a public park located on the banks of the river Seine in Colombes, northwest of Paris. It is also the seat of Pôle sportif Piere-Lagravère (formerly Centre sportif municipal du Parc Lagravère), a public multisports complex.[2]

Its common name comes from its location on île Marante, a former island in the Seine.[3] The island's now disappeared English-style garden designed by Claude-Henri Watelet, Parc du Moulin Joly, was a favorite getaway for the local nobility during the Ancien Régime.[3] The area was also a popular subject for painters, especially impressionists such as Gustave Caillebotte and Claude Monet, who lived in Colombes and nearby Argenteuil, respectively, and frequently sailed the Seine.[4]

The island was joined to the mainland circa 1965 to provide foundations for the building of the A86 autoroute,[5] which today stands between the park and downtown Colombes (several bridges connect both sides).[3] The city of Colombes and the department of Hauts-de-Seine split jurisdiction over the newly accessible land. The city used parts of it to create a second sports and recreation district, separate from the historic Stade Yves-du-Manoir.[6] Meanwhile, the department took over the surrounding areas and remodeled them as a public park loosely inspired by the old Watelet garden.[6] The park opened in 1973,[3] and in 1985 was renamed after Pierre Lagravère, who was the first president of the département upon its creation in 1968.[3]

Cycling and jogging

Parc Lagravère is the final stop of the Promenade Bleue, a bike and walking trail created in 2010 that became a leg of the Paris–London Avenue Verte in 2012.[7][8] Since 1991, the venue has offered a BMX park,[3] which is managed by a resident club.[9] The route of the 1924 Summer Olympics cross country race ran alongside île Marante, although it stayed on the dam built on the mainland side, and did not venture onto the island proper as only a barge allowed crossings at the time.[10]

Centre aquatique olympique Laure-et-Florent Manaudou
Opened1969 (original)[11]
2024 (remodel)
Operated byVert Marine[12]
ArchitectHenry Pottier (original)[6][13]
Arcos (2024 remodel)[12]
TypeIndoor, outdoor
Former namePiscine olympique de Colombes
Length50 metre (main)
Width21 metre (main)

Pôle sportif Pierre-Lagravère

Current facilities

Centre aquatique olympique Laure-et-Florent Manaudou

The first step taken to establish île Marante as a sports destination was to replace the city's relatively recent outdoor swimming pool, located downtown in the vicinity of Stade Yves-du-Manoir, with a new indoor facility on the former island, which opened in 1969.[14] Like the park's future ice rink, it was designed by architect Henry Pottier, who was in charge of an urban renewal plan for the northwestern districts of Colombes at the time. In addition to hosting the hometown Colombes Natation,[11] it has also been used by Racing Club de France due to that club's longstanding ties to the city.[15]

The pool was renovated and expanded over three years, in part for use as a training facility during the 2024 Olympic Games.[13] The new version, which adds several features including a heated outdoor pool,[16] was inaugurated for the general public on 28 June 2025.[16] On this occasion, it took the name of swimming siblings Laure and Florent Manaudou, both Olympic and world champions.[17]

Colombes Tennis Club

Delivered in 1975,[4] the Colombes Tennis Club offers eleven courts and is managed by an eponymous association. The five indoor courts are made of natural clay, while the six outdoor courts rely on a mix of acrylic (GreenSet), synthetic clay and natural clay.[18]

Patinoire Philippe-Candeloro
Former namesColombes Municipal Ice Rink
Capacity880 (seated)
1320 (total)[21]
Field size56 × 26 metre[22]
Construction
Built1973
Opened16 January 1974[19]
Closed12 June 2024[20]
ArchitectHenry Pottier[6]
Tenants
Anges de Colombes (2002–2024)

Disused facilities

Patinoire Philippe-Candeloro

An ice rink was added to the park in 1973.[23] It was home to the French Ice Sports Federation's national figure skating training center,[24] and hosted the 1992 French Figure Skating Championships.[25] In 2018, it was renamed after World Championship and Olympic medalist figure skater Philippe Candeloro, who grew up and started his career in Colombes.[26][27]

The venue served as the home ice for the Français Volants, Paris' oldest existing hockey team, across several stints in the mid 1970s and 1980s.[28][29] It also hosted the 1978 hockey Coupe de France final.[30] However, it was not associated with a true resident hockey club until another organization, the Anges du Vésinet (lit. 'Le Vésinet Angels'), faced with the permanent loss of their rink to a fire, moved there in 2002, later changing their name to Anges de Colombes.[31]

Although recognized as "a legendary place" by the city,[27] Colombes mayor Patrick Chaimovitch (EELV) announced on 22 March 2022 that the rink would close due to its excessive energy consumption.[23] He deemed that previous administrations had not invested enough to modernize the building, and refused to finance a full renovation which he estimated at €15 million.[32] The rink suspended its activities on 12 June 2024,[20] and the city council voted against re-opening it on 10 October.[33] Candeloro protested the shutdown of the facility bearing his name,[32][20] while the local figure skating club and a public interest group jointly filed suit against the city. Their efforts were ultimately dismissed by an administrative court on 21 July 2025.[34][35]

References

  1. ^ "Parcs & jardins". colombes.fr. City of Colombes. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  2. ^ "Rapport du budget primitif 2019" (PDF). colombes.fr. City of Colombes. 28 March 2019. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Le parc Pierre Lagravère" (Press release). Nanterre: Conseil Général des Hauts-de-Seine. May 2009. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  4. ^ a b À la découverte de Colombes (PDF) (Report). City of Colombes. 3 February 2012. p. 12. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  5. ^ Plan local d'urbanisme – rapport de présentation (PDF) (Report). City of Colombes. January 2013. p. 153. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d "La conquête des bords de Seine" (PDF). Colombes : le mag. No. 52. City of Colombes. October 2019. p. 44.
  7. ^ Giorgi, Jean-Pierre (9 August 2020). "Avenue verte London – Paris : Paris et la Seine impressionniste". CycloMag. Fédération française de cyclotourisme. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  8. ^ Hammadi, Anissa (28 June 2019). "Votre été en Ile-de-France : longez la Seine à vélo, de Colombes à Rueil". leparisien.fr. LVMH. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  9. ^ Sterlé, Carole (22 July 2000). "Le vélo-cross enseigné par un champion". leparisien.fr. Groupe Amaury. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  10. ^ Hutchinson, Andrew Boyd (7 January 2020). "The 1924 Olympic Cross Country Course — Colombes, France". therealxc.com. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  11. ^ a b Tassel, Victor (14 April 2017). "A Colombes, le club de natation craint de se retrouver le bec dans l'eau". leparisien.fr. LVMH. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  12. ^ a b "Colombes : un centre aquatique ambitieux et durable". placedupro.com (in French). 4 July 2025. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  13. ^ a b Bernardi, Kevin (21 March 2019). "Paris 2024 : La piscine de Colombes mobilisée pour l'entraînement". sportetsociete.org. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  14. ^ "Des nageurs olympiques à Colombes ?" (PDF). Colombes : le mag. No. 32. City of Colombes. October 2017. p. 47.
  15. ^ Caron, Christine. "Le mot de la présidente". lagardereparisracing.fr. Lagardère Paris Racing – section natation. Archived from the original on 15 September 2008.
  16. ^ a b "À Colombes, un centre aquatique dernière génération". hauts-de-seine.fr (in French). 12 July 2025. Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  17. ^ Hancewicz, Hugo (16 June 2025). "Colombes : après trois ans de travaux, la piscine fait peau neuve et restera ouverte tout l'été". actu.fr (in French). Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  18. ^ "Les installations". colombes-tennis-club.com. Colombes Tennis Club. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  19. ^ "Colombes – Philippe Candeloro". hockeyfrance.com. Fédération Française de Hockey sur Glace. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  20. ^ a b c Voisine, Oriane; Belien, Sarah (23 December 2022). Fermeture de la patinoire de Colombes: des habitants saisissent la justice (television report). BFM Paris Île-de-France. Retrieved 22 September 2025.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  21. ^ Bilan de l'activité des sous-commissions (PDF) (Report). Commission consultative départementale de sécurité des Hauts-de-Seine. 14 December 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  22. ^ "Patinoire Philippe Candeloro". club.kinder.fr. Ferrero. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  23. ^ a b Bureau, Olivier (31 March 2022). "'Si elle ferme, ce sera dramatique' : l'avenir de la patinoire Philippe-Candeloro fait monter la température à Colombes". Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  24. ^ "Catherine Glaise interview" (PDF). Ambition citoyenne – Newsletter du SDJES (in French). No. 6. Académie de Créteil. January 2024. p. 12.
  25. ^ "Championnats de France". Patinage Magazine. No. 31. Rouen: Média-Loisirs. February–March 1992.
  26. ^ Damecour, Anne-Sophie (16 December 2018). "Colombes : la patinoire porte désormais le nom de 'son' champion Candeloro". leparisien.fr. Groupe Amaury. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  27. ^ a b "La Patinoire municipale, un lieu mythique". colombes.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 20 April 2022.
  28. ^ "Championnat de France 1975/76". hockeyarchives.info. Marc Branchu. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  29. ^ "Championnat de France 1988/89". hockeyarchives.info. Marc Branchu. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  30. ^ "Tours - Croix (29 avril 1978)". hockeyarchives.info. Marc Branchu. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  31. ^ Gineste, Franck (11 July 2002). "Les Anges tombent des nues". leparisien.fr. Groupe Amaury. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  32. ^ a b Dolbois, Maëlys (4 July 2022). "Patinoire de Colombes : Philippe Candeloro milite contre sa fermeture définitive". actu.fr (in French). Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  33. ^ Kouassi, Olivier (12 October 2022). "Hauts-de-Seine. La fermeture de la patinoire de Colombes confirmée". actu.fr (in French). Retrieved 22 September 2025.
  34. ^ Auriol, Christelle; Chabrol, Claire (15 July 2025). "Le tribunal administatif confirme la fermeture définitive de la patinoire 'Philippe-Candeloro' de Colombes". tribunal-administratif.fr (Press release) (in French). Retrieved 22 September 2025.{{cite press release}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  35. ^ Hancewicz, Hugo (19 August 2025). "'Un scandale' : la justice confirme la fermeture de la patinoire Philippe-Candeloro de Colombes". actu.fr (in French). Retrieved 22 September 2025.

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