Cimetière de Belleville

The Cimetière de Belleville sits at one hundred and twenty-eight meters above sea level, making it the second-highest point in Paris after the Butte Montmartre. This hectare-and-a-half space occupies part of what was once the park of the Ménilmontant estate. Long before the first burial in eighteen oh eight, Claude Chappe chose this exact spot in seventeen ninety-two to experiment with his optical telegraph system. The technology left its name on the street outside the gates and the nearby subway station.