(Last Update: 07.06.2025) Bassin de la Villette (basen dö la vilet), located at the northernmost point of Canal Saint-Martin and the largest artificial pond in Paris, has had an important place in the lives of Parisians since 1808. During the years it was built, the Saint Martin Canal was a passageway, waiting, loading and unloading area between Canal Saint-Martin, Canal de l'Ourcq and Canal Saint-Denis.