Excerpt: the Most Beautiful Gardens in Paris

 
Excerpt: the Most Beautiful Gardens in Paris

A new book celebrates the most stunning gardens in Paris. Here, France Today selects some of the finest to visit on your next trip to the capital.

1. Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris 6e

Paris is full of surprises. Did you know that the city is home to the most beautiful garden in Europe? Internet users from around the world awarded this title to the Luxembourg Gardens, and after strolling around the large pool, wandering along the paths and admiring the flowerbeds, you will understand why. The gardens are located in the heart of the capital, next to the Latin quarter and its prestigious academic institutions. Within, a perfectly symmetrical French garden alternates with English gardens where nature is given more freedom. In the centre of the garden, in front of the Senate building and surrounded by four large lawns, is an octagonal pool where little sailboats sometimes drift. The iconic green chairs scattered along the paths are perfect for taking a rest or enjoying the sun. Between June and October, the dozens of flowerbeds are carefully tended to by the gardeners, who choose plant varieties based on when they bloom. During this time of the year, the pathways are always bright with an infinite variety of colourful blossoms, including forget-me-nots, primroses, dahlias and begonias.

The name ‘Jardin du Luxembourg’

The garden owes its name to the former owner, the Duke of Piney-Luxembourg. Parisians sometimes refer to it as the ‘Luco’. Contrary to popular belief, this moniker is not an abbreviation of Luxembourg, but rather of “Lucotitius’, the name of the neighbourhood during antiquity – which makes it a surprisingly long-lived nickname.

©Jacques Loic, Photononstop – The Most Beautiful Garden of Paris, Flammarion

2. Parc de Bagatelle, Paris 16e

The timeless Parc de Bagatelle is located north of Bois de Boulogne. Some consider it to be the most beautiful garden in the capital, but the jury is still out. However, its rose garden and history certainly make it the most unique garden in western Paris. What is now Pare de Bagatelle was once the site of a lodge that was used during royal hunting parties. In the 18th century, during the reign of Louis XV, it was purchased by Maréchal d’Estrées and became popular with libertines: members of the nobility indulged in frivolous leisure at extravagant parties held in this lush setting hidden from view. In 1775, the Count of Artois, Louis XVI’s brother and the future King Charles X, acquired it. Two years later, Queen Marie Antoinette set him the incredible challenge of building a new residence there in less than 100 days. In the end, he succeeded in just 64 days with the help of architect François-Joseph Bélanger and 900 labourers. The Château de Bagatelle is the epitome of a folly – a type of small building that wealthy aristocrats built on a whim, with no regard for cost. The estate went through several different owners who enlarged the château, expanded the gardens, and built an orangery. It was purchased by the city in the early 20th century. After years of neglect, the estate was restored and remodelled by Jean-Claude-Nicolas Forestier, custodian of Bois de Boulogne, who turned it into the delightful botanical garden that welcomes visitors today. He also created the large rose garden, which is famous among flower enthusiasts throughout the whole of Europe.

The rose garden

The rose garden in Parc de Bagatelle is one of the largest and most beautiful of its kind in France, with more than 1,200 varieties spread over four acres (1.6 ha). Established in 1905 by Jean-Claude- Nicolas Forestier, the garden continues to evolve, year after year. Originally, the flowers were largely presented in uniform beds. Today, the gardeners experiment with other compositions by using a range of cultivated and wild roses, including rose bushes, climbing or ground-cover roses, and roses winding around arches or shrubs. Depending on the variety and the weather, the roses bloom between early summer and November. But the best time to admire them is in June, at the International Competition of New Roses. Since 1907, this event has awarded prizes to recently created roses-three for their beauty and one for its fragrance. During the competition, the flower candidates are displayed in the presenters’ garden, which was specially designed for this purpose, and the park’s gardeners give advice to enthusiasts.

©Obs70 Shutterstock – The Most Beautiful Garden of Paris, Flammarion

3. Parc Monceau, Paris 8e

Located in the heart of the peaceful Europe neighbourhood, concentrated around Place de l’Europe, Parc Monceau is a most elegant garden. Designed in 1769 at the behest of the Duke of Chartres (the future Philippe Égalité), its first owner, it was intended to surprise and enthral aristocrats in need of a change of scenery. Even today, the many ruins found along its paths transport visitors to an idealised antiquity. The park is surrounded by splendid cast-iron grating decorated in places with gilded ornamentation representing various plants. Visitors entering by the main gate walk past the rotunda a neoclassical pavilion topped with a dome and surrounded by massive columns. This imposing structure was built in the 18th century by Claude-Nicolas Ledoux. The Duke of Chartres enjoyed climbing up to the terrace, which used to be located where the dome is today, to admire the view.

Larger-than-life ruins

Parc Monceau’s picturesque beauty owes much to the imitation ruins. The Duke of Chartres wanted to represent every time period and location in a single garden, so the park’s various spaces were designed as miniature versions of the different historical universes that sparked the aristocracy’s imagination or served as muses. The water feature known as a ‘naumachia’ is modelled after the pools where mock naval combats were held in antiquity. In it is reflected a semicircular colonnade, taken from the funerary chapel of King Henri II, that creates an eminently poetic sight. A small bridge, similar to those spanning the canals of Venice, stretches over the brook. As for the pyramid, the obelisk, and the (empty) sarcophagus located nearby, they attest to the 18th-century taste for a largely imagined vision of ancient Egypt – hieroglyphs were not deciphered until much later, in 1822, by Jean-François Champollion.

Parc Monceau ©Danièle Schneider Photononstop – The Most Beautiful Garden of Paris, Flammarion

4. Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, Paris 19e

A stroll through Buttes-Chaumont promises an escape into nature with the vastness of the city in sight. Although this undulating park is entirely man-made, many species of plants and animals thrive here. With its central island surrounded by a lake, its hanging bridge, and its rocky bluffs, this peaceful haven is full of surprises. Wandering around Parc des Buttes-Chaumont, visitors may be hard pressed to imagine that, less than two centuries ago, this charming park was the site of an inhospitable gypsum quarry. A gift from the Second Empire The area’s 62 acres (25 ha) were transformed into a green space during the reign of Napoleon III, when Paris was being restructured by Baron Haussmann. The emperor wanted to give the working classes a place for leisure, but also to up clean neighbourhood at the time, it was believed that harmful odours, referred to as ‘miasmas’, emanated from insalubrious areas. Over a period of three years, the quarries were remodelled from top to bottom, and Pare des Buttes-Chaumont was inaugurated during the 1867 World’s Fair. The work, which was overseen by engineer Jean-Charles Adolphe Alphand, took on gargantuan proportions: more than 7,000,000 cubic feet (200,000m²) of soil were necessary to make the park viable. Parc des Buttes-Chaumont is located on one of the highest points in the capital, giving it a panoramic view of the city stretching all the way to the Sacré-Coeur Basilica.

Do you have a favourite Paris garden? Tell us about it: [email protected]

From France Today Magazine

The Most Beautiful Gardens of Paris

Discover Paris through its stunning gardens! Get your copy of The Most Beautiful Gardens of Paris and step into a world of floral elegance.

A Book You Can’t Miss!

Lead photo credit : Parc des Buttes-Chaumont p.132 ©Stéphane Ouzounoff, Photononstop - The Most Beautiful Garden of Paris, Flammarion

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