Like a giant Proust madeleine 65 m high, overlooking the Bois de Vincennes, it reminds several generations of Parisians of the joys of childhood.
The large rock, built in 1934, remains today the "totem" of the zoological park of Paris and even a real monument of the capital, "sometimes nicknamed the Eiffel tower of eastern Paris", slips in a smile the director of the Pierre-Yves Bureau zoo.
Unlike the Iron Lady, it can no longer be visited, having been closed for 14 years.
A campaign of works must begin this summer to allow its reopening.
“The big rock is both majestic and iconic.
We feel a strong bond with the audience, a sense of affection and attachment.
Recently, I ran into a grandfather who was telling his granddaughter about the time he rode there.
Our desire is to return this site to visitors, to give it back its primary purpose”, sums up Jérôme Gestin, deputy director general for resources of the Natural History Museum, on which the park depends.
Because yes, for nearly 50 years, this artificial concrete mountain was one of the main attractions of the zoo.
An elevator took visitors to the belvedere at the top to offer a unique view of Paris.
“When it opened in 1934, it was even the fastest elevator in Europe,” assures Pierre-Yves Bureau.
For a time, it also hosted mouflons and Himalayan goats on its flanks.
"It's a real cathedral rock, at the height of modernity in 1934. There is a real heritage interest there"
But in 1982, like the majority of the facilities on the site, the large rock showed obvious signs of dilapidation.
It is closed once.
Work, started in 1994, allowed a reopening in 1997. Eleven years later, the whole park closed for four years for a total redevelopment... Or almost: the big rock was not then one of the priorities.
In 2014, for the inauguration, he kept the door closed, depriving visitors of a real attraction.
From the inside, the structure is impressive.
A forest of concrete beams supports the mesh structure onto which kilos of concrete have been thrown.
To the right and left, two suspended water towers house the tons of water needed to supply the zoo's ponds.
A staircase of 352 steps winds up to the top, sometimes outdoors, sometimes indoors.
"It's a real cathedral rock, at the height of modernity in 1934. There is a real heritage interest there," says Jérôme Gestin.
Host exhibitions and events
Before visitors can discover it again, it will be necessary to wait until 2024, for the 90th anniversary of the park.
The nave, the ground floor of the large rock, will undergo a complete facelift with a resumption of the existing floors to enlarge the space and increase to 1,000 m2.
To this must be added the overhaul of the security systems, the electrical network and the installation of new lighting.
Cost of the operation: 900,000 euros, part of which, 100,000 euros, must be financed by a call for donations launched by the Heritage Foundation.
“There is of course a financial aspect in this call but not only.
It is also a way of recreating the link between the public and this very well-known, highly appreciated but long closed place, ”explains the setting of the museum.
In two years, the big rock should again become a place to visit, hosting exhibitions, temporary or permanent, events, without a detailed program being established yet.
One thing is certain, however: neither the elevator nor the stairs will unfortunately be accessible in 2024 and the public will have to make do with the ground floor.
But Jérôme Gestin does not hide having other desires.
“Go higher, make the elevator work again, we dream of it.
For the moment, it is neither acted nor financed.
We are in the process of costing such a project.
Nothing is impossible ".
