VISITATION PARK

Along the very passing and noisy boulevard of Strasbourg rises a large wall of red bricks. Percé with a little visible entrance, this wall overlooks one of the most beautiful parks in the city: the Park of the Visitation. Surrounded by all sides by 4,50 m walls, this park is a veritable landscape of greenery and serenity in the heart of the city. But where does his name come from? In 1876, the roubaisien architect Paul Destombes-Pennel embarked on a wide site, that of the Convent of the Visitation, boulevard de Strasbourg. Inspired by the Italian Renaissance, the convent welcomes the Sisters of the Visitation from its inauguration in 1882. The Sisters will reside until 1975. The Commission of Churches then puts the estate on sale. Acquired by the city, it will be the subject of various rehabilitation projects, the last dating back to 2016 and to transform the whole into apartments of prestige. If the convent does not exist properly, its park is indeed present as an essential landmark for the inhabitants of the neighbourhood. When it was still linked to the convent, the park consisted of a wooded park of 7 200 m ², a pasture of 2 900 m ² and a vegetable garden of 5 000 m ². During the rehabilitation process, this vast green area was transformed into a beautiful square of 13 000 m ². Fountain, play area, small raised kiosk, football stadium and wooded paths make up this superb city park. Opened in 1989, it was the subject of new work in 1998 to create an opening on the banks of the Canal de Roubaix. All the rooms are suitable for rest and tranquility. A real green lung in the heart of a lively neighborhood.