The 95th "Tour de France" just ended yesterday... cycling is definitively not my cup of tea, but here is an opportunity to visit again Paris' main stadium, the Parc des Princes.
The Parc des Princes was inaugurated in 1897 as a velodrome. He was then managed by Henri Desgrange - a sportsman, journalist and entrepreneur - who later created the Tour de France in 1903... Desgrange was also managing sports newpaper L'Auto (now L'Equipe...)
The Parc des Princes had been for long time a high place of cycling in France, track cycling of course but also the finish line of Tour de France untill 1967 - the year when "old" Parc was closed and demolished to be rebuilt (in 1972) as it is today... without a cycling track...
This stadium had also hosted the first appearances of Equipe de France for both Football (since 1905) and Rugby (since 1906) (cf this post about France - All Blacks 1906... and that one also... or this one...). French national rugby team then moved to Colombes after WW1, before returning to the "new" Parc des Princes in 1973 (and now at the Stade de France since 1998)
Between 1900 and WW1, the Parc des Princes hosted most of international fixtures of Stade Français and Racing Club de France... the place could gather up to 10,000 people... but I understand that the rent was quite high... Desgrange was known to be a fierce businessman...
Enough said... here are four old postcards from the Parc des Princes :
- the upper one shows the gates in 1906, in Boulogne
- the second one shows Racing Club de France vs London Irish FC in 1899... the cycling track is visible in the background (great sporting picture, indeed !)
- the two lower cards give an idea of the atmosphere of the place, from the main stand (1910) or from the track (1906)
And finally, "Le Parc" (as we say in Paris...) as it is today... (credit to L'Internaute)
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