Mirror of Water
Bordeaux through the looking glass!
A refreshing stroll through the looking-glass is a must for both inhabitants and visitors alike of the enchanting city of Bordeaux.Inaugurated in July 2006, the magical miroir d’eau covers a surface of 3450 m2 and is the largest of its kind in the world! Water either lies still in a 2cm mirror of water or is sprayed 2 metres into the air.
Quai du Maréchal Lyautey > Tram C, Place de la Bourse station
Landscaped promenade
Before the renovation programme of Bordeaux which began around 2000, the quays of the “belle endormie” were the site of derelict depots built in the 1930’s at a time when the port de la lune (port of the moon) was thriving as the fourth biggest port in France with a yearly tonnage of 4,5 million tonnes. As a sideline, it is worth recalling that the international measurement of a ship’s volume, the tonne, stems from the bordelaise tonneau or barrel.
In the early 2000s many of these hangers were pulled down to open up the view over the Garonne and make way for a landscaped promenade and cycle track which curls round in the shape of a crescent moon some 4 kilometres from the quai Richlieu to the quai de Bacalan. Today soulful strollers, couples and families like to saunter or ride along the riverside to take some air away from the city hustle and bustle with, on the one side, the river Garonne, and on the other, the jardin des lumières (garden of lights), composed of lawns and 223 flowerbeds with over 320000 plants.
Mirror of Water
The highlight of the promenade along the port de la lune is without doubt the miroir d’eau (mirror of water). Situated in front of the Place de la Bourse, the mirror of water was created to symbolise a new era in the urban development of Bordeaux and its new outlook upon the world. Each year over thirty cruise ships berth along the quai du Maréchal Lyautey to discover the elegance of the traditional 18th century entrance to the city magically reflected in the miroir d’eau.
Inaugurated in July 2006, the magical miroir d’eau covers a surface of 3450 m2 and is the largest of its kind in the world! Water either lies still in a 2cm mirror of water or is sprayed 2 metres into the air. The “mirror of water” is set as the centrepiece of a large 5850m² esplanade paved in granite which itself is flanked north and south by the seasonal colours of the jardin des lumières.
The success of the mirror of water was immediate, the esplanade has since been adopted as a play area, a refreshing meeting point, as well as a popular location to stage events with the backdrop of the river Garonne on east side and the elegant Place de la Bourse on the west.
Underground depot
All the depots, except one, that ran downstream along the quays to the end of the quai des Chartrons have been demolished (from depot 14, quai des Chartrons, the depots have been transformed into shops, bars, restaurants and exposition areas). That one remaining depot is surprisingly situated in front of the Place de la Bourse on the very spot where the miroir d’eau cyclically sprays out its refreshing mist from its nine hundred or so injectors. This is because the depot was built below ground level so as not to spoil the view of the Place de la Bourse from the river. Take a peak through the holes in the metal aeration covers here and there around the esplanade and you may see inside the depot which today houses, instead of exotic sacks of coco and barrels of spirit from the colonies, the more sober 800m³ water tank along with the mechanism of the miroir d’eau.
