Bois de Boulogne
The present Bois de Boulogne is just a tiny part of the former forest
of Rouvray which surrounded Lutèce called by this name until
the XIVth century, after the oak trees which surrounded it (Querus
Robur). Under Philippe IV it was given the name of the Bois de Boulogne
following the construction of Notre-Dame-de-Boulogne-le-Petit.
Portes Maillot, Dauphine or d'Auteuil,
75016 - PARIS
Métro: Porte Dauphine or d'Auteuil
Parc de Bagatelle
The Bagatelle was originally just a small house bought by the Maréchal
d'Estrées in 1720. Soon afterwards transformed into a luxurious
small castle, it turned into an extremely costly folly. Christened
"Bagatelle", it was to become a location for festivities
and a hunting meet. Miraculously spared during the Revolution, Bagatelle
experienced several fates: as a restaurant in 1797, then as a hunting
meet under Napoléon, the estate being returned to the family
of Count d'Artois under the Restoration. Bagatelle was reborn when
it was bought by Lord Seymour in 1835. With the addition of a grand
entrance on the park side, an orangery and new stables, the park
was extended then transformed into the Jardin Napoléon III
in the second half of the XIXth century.
Bois de Boulogne, Sèvres-to-Neuilly road
75016 - PARIS
Métro: Porte Maillot
Bus: 244 et 43
Bois de Vincennes
Originally called Vilcena, the Bois de Vincennes is the remains
of the ancient wooded belt which surrounded Lutèce. Formerly
part of the Bishopric of Paris, it became the property of the crown
in the XIth century. The building of a strong castle with a dungeon
which is still visible, was begun by Philippe VI, followed by Jean
le Bon and was finally completed under Charles V in 1370. The enclosure
and the chapel were only completed under François I. Most
of the kings of France played a part in constructing the royal estate
at Vincennes. During the One Hundred Years War, and continuously
during periods of upheaval, the forest served as a source of firewood
for Parisians.
Portes de Vincennes, Dorée
75012 - PARIS
Métro: Porte Dorée
Parc Floral
de Paris
Held in 1959 and in 1964, at the CNIT and La Défense, the
first two flower shows were immensely successful. In order to host
the IIIrd International Flower Show in 1969, the Paris authorities
approved the addition of a park in the Bois de Vincennes. The Parc
Floral was located in the exact places where the former Pyramide
and Cartoucherie military establishments stood. Some buildings,
representative of Second Empire industrial architecture were thus
safeguarded and renovated. In the same spirit, the Park's landscape
architects retained a three-hectare pinewood forest of Larico pines.
In the Bois de Vincennes, which was so dear to Saint-Louis, an oak
grove covering a hectare symbolises the popular imagery of the good
king giving justice under an oak tree.
Esplanade du Château, Bois de Vincennes
75012 - PARIS
Métro: Château de Vincennes
Jardin du
Luxembourg
Considerably expanded following various acquisitions, gardens by
Boyceau, mixed the typically French embroidery of flower beds with
Italian-style grottoes and fountains, which have now disappeared.
As a memento to this lavish past, the Médicis fountain, attributed
to Salomon de Brosse, was erected in 1861 along the rue de Médicis.
Its pediment with Marie de Médicis' coat of arms supported
by allegories of rivers and large bowls, contributes to making this
a highly sought-after spot by tourists in the hot summer days.
Boulevard Saint-Michel
75014 - PARIS
Métro: Odéon
RER: Luxembourg
Jardin des
Plantes
The garden was created following the completion of the work of XVIth
century botanists. In 1577 the apothecary Nicolas Houel founded
the Maison de la Charité Chrétienne (House of Christian
Charity) with a "garden of simple plants", the first botanical
gardens in Paris. By 1624 over one thousand species were cultivated
here.
57, Rue Cuvier
75005 - PARIS
Métro: Austerlitz - Jussieu
Jardin des
Tuileries
The Jardin des Tuileries occupies an area of 25 hectares, between
the Carrousel du Louvre and the place de la Concorde, the rue de
Rivoli and the banks of the Seine. It was commissioned by Catherine
de Médicis but the present layout of the formal garden (1664)
is attributable to Le Nôtre. The two terraces which form the
north and south borders, blossom out into wide sinuous slopes in
front of the place de la Concorde. The northern (Musée du
jeu de Paume) side is dominated by the terrasse des Feuillants,
named after a neighbouring Benedictine convent. It was here that
the salle de Manège which received the Assemblée Nationale
in 1789 rose up followed by the other revolutionary assemblies.
The garden's sculptures are extremely varied with contributions
from Marly, Van Cleve, Coustou, Le Paultre. There are two illustrious
buildings - the Orangery and the Musée du Jeu de Paume. This
prestigious area is also a place where children congregate, taking
part in gardening, painting, sculpturing and modelling work groups.
Other attractions include a traditional merry-go-round, donkey rides
and small boats for hire. Every year between 21 June and 25 August
a fun fair is held with the big wheel towering over the rue de Rivoli.
Rue de Rivoli
75001 - PARIS
Métro: Palais-Royal
Parc Monceau
In 1769, the Duke of Chartres, the future Duke of Orléans,
bought a hectare of land in the heart of the Monceau plain. This
was to be the modest beginning of the Duke's folly. A pavilion was
built in the center of a garden which the duke, who later became
Philippe Egalité, was to expand by 12 hectares between 1773
and 1778. In 1860 the park covered a much greater area than at present.
During the Revolution, the park having been declared national property,
became a location for balls and popular celebrations. It was returned
to the Orléans family during the Restoration. Then in 1852
it was split, half being given to the state and half to the Orléans
family. The City of Paris bought the park in 1860. Part of it was
made into a public garden by Baron Haussmann and was opened in 1861
by Napoléon III.
58, Boulevard de Courcelles
75008 - PARIS
Métro: Monceau
Parc Montsouris
Originally called Moquesouris (mouse mockery) not without cause
as the abandoned windmills of the barren plain were devoid of grain
- even for the mice. A place of legends where the giant Isoire was
supposed to have confronted Guillaume d'Aquitaine. At the end of
the XVIIIth century, the labyrinthine subsoil inherited from the
Montrouge mines, were transformed into catacombs. Bones from former
Parisian cemeteries are piled up here. A vast formal park, developed
during the Second Empire, was part of a plan thought up by Napoléon
III and Baron Haussmann to give the capital large green areas at
its four cardinal points.
Boulevard Jourdan, Avenue Reille
75014 - PARIS
RER B: Cité-Universitaire
Parc des
Buttes Chaumont
Situated on an arid hill, it has been the scene of bloody fighting.
In 885, the Count Eudes de Paris et de Troyes drove back the Normans
at the battle of Montfaucon on the hillside. In 1814, at the end
of the French campaign, the national guard and the marine artillery
fought a desperate battle against the assaults of the Prussians
before surrendering. It has also witnessed some macabre scenes.
At the end of the Middle Ages, the infamous Montfaucon gallows,
immortalised by the poet François Villon in his famous Ballade
des pendus, were still to be seen on its western side. During the
Restoration, the hill, which had been occupied by lime quarries
since time immemorial, was turned into a vast public wasteground.
When the communes of Belleville and La Villette were absorbed into
the capital and the quarries were bought in 1862 by the City of
Paris, Napoléon III had the idea of creating the Butte-Chaumont
park which was to become a monument to plants.
Rues Botzaris, Manin
75019 - PARIS
Métro: Buttes-Chaumont
Parc Georges
Brassens
The site of the Parc Georges Brassens once belonged to the former
hamlet of Vaugirard which became part of Paris in 1860. This is
where the famous Périchot grape was grown in the 18th century.
In the 19th century the vines disappeared and were replaced by market
gardens. In 1894 slaughterhouses were built here. After many years
of heavy use, they became outdated and were destroyed in 1974-1975.
Opened to the public in 1984, the park was given the name of the
celebrated poet and musician Georges Brassens who lived close by
at 42 rue Santos-Dumont. The neighbourhood was also home to other
celebrities, such as the sculptor Ossip Zadkine and the painter
Fernand Léger. The park's clever design integrates some of
the most striking architectural components of the slaughterhouses
whilst giving the gardens a strong contemporary feel.
Rue des Morillons
75015 - PARIS
Métro: Convention
Parc André-Citroën
In the 18th century, the hamlet of Javel belonged to the omnipotent
Abbey of Saint-Geneviève-du-Mont. Although it became part
of the commune of Issy-les-Moulineaux in 1789, the area only became
part of the 15th arrondissement during the Second Empire. Javel
at the time was known for its open-air café and for the manufacture
of chemicals, started up by the Count d'Artois in 1784. It was here
that bleach was invented, hence its French name eau de Javel. In
1915, André Citroën built his factory close to the banks
of the Javel and this continued to operate until the 1970s at which
time car manufacturing was moved outside Paris. The twenty-three
hectares which were thus freed up and were included in the capital's
urbanisation policy gave rise to the Parc André Citroen.
It pays homage to the famous manufacturer who devoted his life to
major national causes. Over a vast area of fourteen hectares the
park perpetuates the tradition of the prestigious parks of Paris
which are designed perpendicular to the Seine such as the Champ
de Mars and the Trocadéro gardens.
Quai André-Citroën
75015 - PARIS
Métro: Bir-Hakeim
Parc de Bercy
In June 1994, the first part of this park located on the former
Bercy wineries was opened to the public. This space, offered to
the public by the City of Paris, was essentially made of lawns accessible
round the clock as an extension of the Paris Bercy sports center.
The second phase of the park was completed in autumn 1995 and covers
almost five hectares including flower beds and the western part
of the romantic garden. After the completion of the eastern part
during the summer, the garden will reach its final area of about
14 hectares. The main elements of the site were preserved when the
design of the park was worked out: century-old trees, essentially
plane trees and chestnut trees; paved lanes previously used to transport
the wine from the river banks to the wineries, four buildings already
existing on the site : the Bercy Pavilion, a house of gardening,
the lake house and the orangery.
Rue de Bercy, Paul Belmondo, Joseph Kessel,
Quai de Bercy 75012 PARIS
Métro: Bercy
Montmartre
Cemetery
The Montmartre or North Cemetery, almost as vast and as famous as
Père Lachaise, was created in 1798, closed down and then
reopened in 1831. Many illustrious personalities such as Alfred
de Vigny, Stendhal, Offenbach and Degas are buried here.
20 Avenue Rachel
75018 Paris
Métro: Blanche
Montparnasse Cemetery
The Montparnasse or South cemetery is a vast pentagon-shaped area
covering 18 hectares. Created in 1824, it is the third largest cemetery
after Père Lachaise and Montmartre, and although not as picturesque
as the former, it boasts a number of prestigious tombs. Famous people
such as Charles Baudelaire, Eugène Ionesco, Guy de Maupassant,
Camille Saint-Saëns are buried here.
3 Boulevard Edgar Quinet
75014 Paris
Métro: Raspail
Père
Lachaise Cemetery
Of the twenty cemeteries in Paris, Père-Lachaise is the most
famous. Opened in 1804, it now has around 70,000 plots and receives
some two million visitors a year from all over the world. Over its
44 hectares and with its 5,300 trees, Père-Lachaise is also
the biggest park in Paris. Beyond its primary function, this famous
Romantic-inspired necropolis, designed by Brongniart, with the passage
of time has become an open-air museum and a pantheon garden. Hundreds
of famous artists, scientists and politicians are buried here and
visitors can admire the many tombs built by well-known architects,
adorned with statues and medallions sculpted by Bartholdi, Rude,
Falguière and David d'Angers.
16, Rue du Repos
75020 Paris
Métro: Pere-Lachaise, Gambetta
