Guillaume Cattiaux, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Lac d'Orient
Lac d'Orient is one of the great reservoir lakes built upstream of Paris to regulate the flow of the Seine and prevent floods, a feat of hydraulic engineering that paradoxically created one of the most beautiful natural areas of the Grand Est. With its 23 km² of surface, it is the third largest artificial body of water in mainland France, surrounded by the forests of the Forêt d'Orient Regional Nature Park. Its sandy shores and areas reserved for swimming and sailing coexist with sectors classified as nature reserve, where observatories let you admire the thousands of migratory birds, common cranes first among them, that stop on its waters each autumn. The lake attracts both water-sports enthusiasts and naturalists, offering a striking contrast between leisure activities and the tranquillity of the protected reedbeds.
