Paris ‘ghost’ stations: Swimming pools and nightclubs could soon be found underground
A partial view taken overnight in Paris, shows a tunnel near the Laumiere metro station.
In the City of Light, an entire underground world lies beneath Parisians' feet.
The city's much beloved Metro is a century-old web of tracks that crisscrosses Paris. But if you look closely, you'll notice something missing from the transit map: 11 stops.
These "stations fantomes," or ghost stations, sit abandoned. Many of the disused stops were shuttered in 1940 during the occupation, while others — Porte Molitor and Haxo — were never even opened.
Paris mayoral candidate Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, member of the center-right Union for a Popular Movement party, reimagined the ghost stations in a striking new plan.
With the help of architect Manal Rachdi of OXO Architects and urban planner Nicolas Laisne, she has dreamed up a way to reclaim these historical places and convert them into functional public spaces.
The first sketches, which were posted on Kosciusko-Morizet's website, envision a swimming pool, a restaurant, a theater, an art gallery, a garden, and a nightclub underneath the subway's arched ceilings.
Rachdi told Le Parisien that he loved the idea of breathing new life into industrial landmarks, citing similar projects in cities like London and Berlin.
The concept is reminiscent of the Old Vic Tunnels in London, a cult-like venue that hosted pop-up art shows and concerts, all housed in a disused railway tunnel underneath Waterloo train station.
Check out the incredible designs for these repurposed spaces: