Ourcq: origin of the name and station history
Served by: metro line 5.
Why this name?
The station takes its name from its proximity to the start of rue de l'Ourcq, itself named after the Canal de l'Ourcq, which it crosses. It lies between Porte de Pantin and Laumière, with three entrances on either side of avenue Jean-Jaurès, close to the Villette district. The former Belleville-Villette station, on the Petite Ceinture, has been closed to passengers since 1934.
Anecdote
Since the late 1980s, a lime-wood sculpture by Thierry Grave, which depicts « the joint of a fabulous animal », has stood in a niche on the platform towards Bobigny - Pablo Picasso. For the 60th anniversary of Asterix and Obelix, the RATP renamed the station « AbraracOurcqcix » on some temporary plates.
Around Ourcq
- Canal de l'Ourcq, 190 m away — Created by a decree of Napoleon on 19 May 1802, this 108.1-km canal brings the Ourcq's water to the Villette basin. Reserved for non-drinking uses since 1983, it also serves pleasure boating.
- Parc de la Villette, 850 m away — A 55-hectare park laid out on the site of the former slaughterhouses, whose closure the City announced in 1973. Bernard Tschumi was given its architecture in 1983. Several themed gardens, with play areas, were built here.
- MK2 Quai de Seine, 900 m away — A cinema complex on the water's edge, its two venues linked by a river shuttle.