Luxembourg Garden. Palace and park ensemble in Paris

Like in this confined space
Can all the joys of the earth be contained?
Fountains, flower beds and a palace in decoration,
Where kings once were.
Miroshnikova Irina

The left bank of Paris is famous for the magical charm of a truly French flavor. Here, every brick of ancient mansions is imbued with subtle notes of the Parisian mood, which sweeps through the centuries in romantic waves through small cafes, majestic cathedrals, captivating rose gardens and the smiling eyes of noisy townspeople.

And the center of this beautiful area, which is called the “Latin Quarter”, is a luxurious park at the very end of the Boulevard San Michel - the Luxembourg Gardens. This place is not only permeated with the tender lines of Akhmatova, Tsvetaeva, Brodsky, Diderot, Rousseau, Ernst Hemingway, and it attracts not only because it is one of the main cultural heritage of the French capital, but primarily because the Luxembourg Garden is imbued with that very unique energy of the left bank.

Leda Fountain

You can get to the Luxembourg Gardens either by walking along Boulevard San Michel to the very end, or by taking the metro to the Luxembourg station. Behind a high wrought-iron fence, which you will immediately notice as you approach the desired location, hides a garden covering an area of ​​twenty-six hectares

The Luxembourg Gardens are bounded from the north by the palace of the same name and the “Small Palace” (Petit Palais), which is the official residence of the President of the Senate, an orangery and the Luxembourg Museum (Musée du Luxembourg), and from the east by the Paris Higher National School of Mining (Ecole des Mines).

The garden can be roughly divided into two parts: around the palace there are buildings laid out in the 17th century. In a strictly geometric order and in the classical French style of flowerbeds and terraces, a later park area in the English style arose in the eastern and southeastern parts.

The garden was laid out in 1611 or 1612. commissioned by the Italian Maria de Medici, widow of King Henry IV, around a country castle, which was being built at that time far outside the city. The garden was founded on lands that belonged to the Carthusian monastery, built on the site of the medieval fortress of Chateau Vauvert.

The fortress was huge and enjoyed an ominous reputation, similar to the reputation of Bluebeard's castle. The expression “aller au diable Vauver” has survived to this day in French, which means “dangerous journey”. In the 13th century, Louis XI gave these lands to the Carthusians, a stern monastic order founded by Saint Bruno (c. 1030-1101). The prototype of the castle was the Palazzo Pitti in Florence, where Maria de Medici grew up.

Maria missed the landscapes of her beloved Tuscany, so she ordered to plant a large number of trees around the new royal castle and create extensive terraced parterres with spectacular flower beds. According to the queen’s plans, the overgrown trees would eventually form a real dense forest, to supply which with moisture a special aqueduct was planned.

Two thousand elms planted on the territory formed a vista that ended in the south with the wall of the monastery of the Carthusian monks. The Medici wanted to expand the territory of the garden, but the monks refused to give up even an inch of their land, so these plans were destined to come true only at the end of the 18th century, after the destruction of the monastery during the French Revolution.

The garden was redesigned according to the designs of the architect Jean-Francois Chalgrin (1739-1811), who not only expanded and extended the central perspective, but also landscaped the empty area in the southwestern part of the garden. During the same period, balustrades appeared in the garden, which hung over the central floral parterre and a large pond (Le Grand Bassin).
At the beginning of the 19th century, the surrounding streets and roads became boulevards, but this did not have any impact on the overall layout of the garden.
The Princely Garden, in which the founder of the Rococo style Jean Antoine Watteau (1684-1721) worked in solitude and sought inspiration, was opened to the public in 1778. The children's carousel and theater, the hero of which was Guignol (Petrushka), was created in 1881 by the architect Jean-Louis-Charles Garnier (1825-1898). Around the same years, many secluded corners and areas for games and relaxation appeared in the garden.

Greenhouse

Lianas, sage, dahlias... The flowering of plants in flower beds does not stop throughout the warm period of the year. To achieve maximum decorativeness, gardeners change the assortment of plants in each flower garden three times a year.
In the summer months, potted plants are added - orange trees, date palms, pomegranate trees, oleanders, some of which are more than two centuries old. These and other ornamental plants can be seen in the greenhouse, built in 1839 and expanded 50 years later.

White chestnut trees flaunt in the distance. Laurels, aucubes and privet are located in a place hidden behind a curtain of plants. The trees grown by the Carthusian monks in their own nursery at the monastery are also preserved here - these are, first of all, almost two thousand varietal apple and pear trees planted near the walls.

The Luxembourg Garden fully complies with the main requirement that is placed on Parisian parks today. The trees and shrubs growing here tolerate regular pruning and are also tolerant of atmospheric pollution and diseases.

Chestnuts, lindens and maples provide excellent refuges for urban birds. The vast majority of birds are most active and fill the garden with sound in the spring, but some attract visitors more in winter, such as the great spotted woodpecker, sparrow, or wren - the smallest of European birds

Despite the fact that in the 19th century. the southern wing of the palace and the adjacent garden have undergone significant changes,

It is easy to understand who served as the model for many of the statues, mostly dating back to the 19th century. Statues of queens and famous ladies of France line the park's alleys. Among them is St. Genevieve, Mary Stuart, Anne of Brittany, Clotilde of France.

Anne of Austria

Petrarch's beloved Laura

St. Bathilde

Maria Stuart

Marie Louise d'Orléans

Maria Medici

Queen Margot

In addition to the queens, you can also see other sculptures in the park, including a monument to the artist Delacroix by sculptor Jules Dahl, as well as a rather unique sculpture - a tribute to the surrealist poet Paul Eluard by Ossip Zadkine (you can learn more about the latter’s works in the nearby Zadkine Museum).

Statue of Liberty in the Luxembourg Gardens

In the original, the garden included large areas of forest plantings, flower beds and reservoirs, to supply water for which in 1613-1624. an aqueduct was built. And even a horseshoe-shaped ramp with high terraces on the garden side, encircling the central fountain, existed in this form at the beginning of the 17th century

In 1617, the garden area was enlarged with part of the land of the Carthusian monastery, by order of Louis XIV, the grandson of Marie de' Medici, the horseshoe-shaped ramp was complemented by the grandiose perspective of Avenue de l'Observatoire, which leads through the Parisian prime meridian laid here to the Paris Observatory.

Already in the 17th century. the park was very popular. In the 18th century The Luxembourg Gardens became a favorite walking place for writers: both Rousseau and Denis Diderot walked here.

In subsequent years, the territory of the garden experienced many changes: in 1782, its owner, the Count of Provence, brother of Louis XVI and the future king Louis XVIII, gave up six hectares of the garden to carry out the restoration of the palace. During the revolution, after the secularization of the artesian monastery, the territory of the Luxembourg Gardens increased to its current size.

In 1865, under Napoleon III, it was cut by the rue Auguste Comte and buildings in the eastern and southern parts. These works also affected the tree nursery (Pépinière) and the botanical garden, especially beloved by Guy de Maupassant. Citizen protests and five petitions, one of which collected a then-record 12,000 signatures, were unsuccessful. Fountains

Medici Fountain

The Medici Fountain (1624, made in the then fashionable Italian style) is considered the most romantic fountain in Paris and is located in one of the most attractive corners of the Luxembourg Gardens.

During the queen's time it was a typical Italian grotto fountain.

However, in 1866, master O. Otten moved the fountain and supplemented it with a sculptural group that didactically interpret the myth of Polyphemus. The bronze prototype (Richelieu) is about to pounce on Galatea (Marie de Medici), unsuspectingly lying in the arms of the shepherd Acidas.

The quieter, more forest-like southwestern part of the park ends with a small orchard of pear trees grown on trellises. Their fruits end up on the table of senators, or, if there is a large harvest, they are given to the homeless.

Big pond

The pond offers a view of the observatory

It began to take shape in 1790, when the monastery adjacent to the garden was demolished. Along the avenue, almost to the intersection with Montparnasse Boulevard, there is a park. The crowns of the trees growing on both sides are so lush that they form a dense leafy roof.

At the end of the square there is the Observatory fountain (Fontaine de l’Observatoire), which is more often called the “Four Parts of the World” fountain. In the center of the fountain, its author, the sculptor Daviu, placed a sculptural group by J.-B. Carpo. The four naked girls represent the four continents - Eurasia, North America, South America and Africa.

Their faces are given the features of the peoples inhabiting the continents, and on their shoulders they hold the earthly sphere, surrounded by the celestial sphere. In the plane of the ecliptic of the celestial sphere there is a ring with symbols of the zodiac constellations. The author, of course, knew that there were five continents on the planet, but Australia ruined the entire composition and had to be removed. From the waters of the fountain pool, horses beating their hooves rush to the heavens.

The Luxembourg Garden is the most “French” of all the parks in the city, because only here you can see the true purpose of the green places in Paris, how exactly Parisians spend their free time, and, finally, become one of them, comfortably sitting on an armchair by the fountain, inhaling the aroma of roses and enjoying the freshness of the greenery, hiding from such a distant and at the same time immeasurably close city center.
Luxembourg Palace

Maria Medici

Palais du Luxembourg is a palace built for Marie de Medici according to the design of Salomon de Brosses in 1615-31. in the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris, on the site of the estate of the late Duke of Pinay from the Luxembourg family (hence the name).

The style is transitional from Renaissance to Baroque. By order of Marie de Medici, the artist Rubens painted twenty-four canvases with scenes from the life of the queen for this palace.

A few months after construction was completed, Louis XIII removed it from Paris. After Mary's death, her son Gaston d'Orléans and granddaughter, "Great Mademoiselle", lived here.

During the Nazi occupation, the palace housed the headquarters of the Luftwaffe in France, Hermann Goering periodically stayed there, and Air Field Marshal Hugo Sperrle lived there for quite a long time. The French Senate currently sits here.

Where is: Paris, 6th arrondissement, Saint-Germain,
How to get there: RER Luxembourg / m.Odeon / St-Sulpice
What to see: The garden, which Parisians call "Luco", is laid out in front of the southern facade of the Luxembourg Palace. This is perhaps the most romantic of Parisian parks. Here lovers find solitude, professors conduct scientific discussions, old women hand-feed birds that have long ceased to be afraid of people.

The Luxembourg Garden (French: Jardin du Luxembourg) in Paris is a palace park on the left bank of the Seine, a favorite vacation spot for Parisians and tourists.

The original garden occupied only 8 hectares and was a small park with trees, flower beds and artificial ponds. In the 1630s, the garden was expanded to thirty hectares and acquired its modern appearance.

After the death of Marie de' Medici, the monarchs largely neglected the garden. In 1780, Louis XVIII sold the eastern part of the park, but after the French Revolution the garden was expanded to 40 hectares and restored.

In 1865, during the reconstruction of the Luxembourg Gardens, a fence was built around the park, an orchard was planted and numerous statues were installed.

Jardin du Luxembourg: garden highlights

You can have a great time in the Luxembourg Gardens, admiring the beautiful palace and ponds with fountains. There is a large orchard, apiary, greenhouse, rose garden and 106 statues scattered throughout the park, in particular the sculpture of Marie de Medici and the Statue of Liberty.

By the way, there are four Statue of Liberty in Paris: one, as we already know, in the Luxembourg Gardens, the second in the Museum of Arts and Crafts, the third on Swan Island, and the fourth Statue of Liberty can be seen near the Eiffel Tower.

Luxembourg Palace - residence of Marie de' Medici

The Luxembourg Palace was built in the 1630s as the royal residence of Marie de' Medici. The palace was built according to the design of the architect Salomon de Brosse in a transitional style from Renaissance to Baroque. At the beginning of the 19th century, after the revolution, the residence was converted into a legislative building and significantly expanded by Alphonse de Gisors. Since 1958, the French Senate has been meeting in the palace.

Medici Fountain

The Medici Fountain is located in the picturesque nature of the Luxembourg Gardens. It was built in 1624 along with the palace park. The fountain depicts a mythical episode - the meeting of the nymph Galatea with her lover Acis, and the cruel Cyclops Polyphemus looms over them. The pond adjacent to the fountain appeared in 1862, at which time the statues of the Seine and Rhone, as well as the coat of arms of the Medici family, were installed.

Entertainment in the Luxembourg Gardens

On the vast territory of the palace and park ensemble there are many interesting entertainments for children and adults. In the western part of the Luxembourg Gardens there is a large playground "Green Chicken" (Poussin Vert). It is divided into two zones: for children under 7 years old and for children from 7 to 12 years old. The playground is equipped with sandboxes, slides, rope courses, a children's climbing wall and a variety of swings.

In the park, children can ride a pony or an old 100-year-old carousel, or watch a performance about the life of Guignol in a small puppet theater.

The most popular entertainment for children in the Luxembourg Gardens is launching remote-controlled boats and sailing ships in the large pool in front of the palace. Joe Dassin mentioned this entertainment in his song “Le Jardin Du Luxembourg”.

For adults, there are no less interesting leisure options here. The park has tennis courts and basketball courts. There is an outdoor music pavilion where you can listen to performances for free. For board game lovers, there is an indoor chess area. In addition, visitors can view a free photography exhibition on the outside of the garden fence.

Parisians and guests of the capital choose the Luxembourg Gardens for family picnics, romantic walks and reading books. The vast lawns are always crowded with people in good weather. And if you want to see the surroundings of Paris from above, visit the Montparnasse Tower - the most controversial building in the city, which simultaneously spoils the view and allows them to enjoy it.

Tourist information

Address: Rue de Vaugirard/ Rue de Médicis, 75006 Paris, France.

Entrance to the garden- free for everyone.

How to get to the Luxembourg Gardens

By metro(nearest stations):

• line 4 - Odéon, Saint-Sulpice, Saint-Placide;
• line 10 - Mabillon, Odéon;
• line 12 - Rennes, Notre-Dame des Champs.

RER: Luxembourg station (line B).

By bus(nearest stops):

• Senat - buses No. 58, No. 84, No. 89;
• Musée du Luxembourg - buses no. 58, no. 84, no. 89;
• Luxembourg - buses No. 38, No. 82, No. 84, No. 89;
• Guynemer-Vavin - buses No. 58, No. 82, No. 83.

By bike from the Velib network- the nearest rental point No. 6009 at 28 Rue Guynemer.

Opening hours:

• 7:30 - 21:30 - from April to October;
• 8:15 - 16:30 - from November to March.

The Luxembourg Gardens, like Paris itself, are beautiful at any time of the year. When planning a trip to France, take care of your accommodation in advance. You can select and book on our website.

Luxembourg Gardens on a map of Paris

The Luxembourg Garden (French: Jardin du Luxembourg) in Paris is a palace park on the left bank of the Seine, a favorite vacation spot for Parisians and tourists.

The history of the creation of the Luxembourg Gardens

The Luxembourg Garden was created on the initiative of Queen Marie de' Medici in 1612 and now covers an area of ​​25 hectares.

Every time I'm in Paris, I try to look into the Luxembourg Gardens.
Well, why not visit here for at least a few minutes! Sit on a chair, stretch your legs and feel like you have come home. Look at visitors like you: someone comes here every day, someone came to Paris for a few hours. And we all unanimously plunge into peaceful contemplation, when we don’t want to talk, think, or rush, and serenity settles in our souls.

Some people, however, run or play tennis and petanque, but this is there, in the depths. The garden is divided into an activity zone, peaceful walks and a seating area in front of the Luxembourg Palace.

Brodsky wrote: “The garden looks like a cross between the Pantheon and the famous “Breakfast on the Grass.”
The Pantheon, indeed, can be seen in the depths of the alley - from it to the Luxembourg Gardens it is a 5-minute walk.

However, in this case, the poet had in mind the large number of sculptures of royalty and other French celebrities placed throughout the garden, to one of whom, Mary Stuart, he dedicated his poem.

In addition to historical characters, there are also mythological

and animals

Fountain of Marie de Medici

For me, the main “magnet” of the Luxembourg Gardens is the Marie de Medici fountain, a shady, secluded place under the canopy of plane trees, where a long ribbon of water stretches to the grotto portico, and green garlands of ivy hang along the water.

Please note that the height of the sides of the pool increases as you approach the portico, creating the illusion of a slope.
There are, of course, chairs with people sitting around. It's impossible not to be drawn to this place. It seems like he’s busy with his own business, but at any moment you can plunge your gaze into beauty and get back to work.

These are the plane trees here!

The Italian-style fountain was built in 1624 for Queen Regent Marie de' Medici. True, the fountain was decorated with the figures of Galatea in the embrace of Acidas and the cyclops Polyphemus, who threatens them, already in the 19th century (sculptor Otten). The plot was not chosen by chance, but with a hint of the complex relationship between Marie de Medici and Cardinal Richelieu.
At first they were in the same camp and even went into exile together to the castle of Blois (where Mary’s grown-up son, Louis the 13th, sent them). Then Louis made peace with his mother, and she put in a good word for Richelieu.

Thanks to the Queen Mother, Richelieu received the rank of cardinal, and soon after that he began to intrigue against his protégé. As a result, Maria de Medici's long-term lover, Concino Concini, was killed, the queen was forced to flee France and ended her life in Cologne. However, Richelieu, who won, survived it for only six months.

The light fell very successfully, illuminating the tender Galatea lying in the hands of Atis, and the formidable Cyclops hanging over them remained in the shadows.

Cyclops Polyphemus

According to legend, at the last second the Nereid Galatea saw Polyphemus and managed to slip into the water. And the angry Polyphemus threw a piece of rock at Atis, but the young man did not die irrevocably, but turned into a river.

Sculpture at the top of the fountain:

On the other side of the fountain is a bas-relief depicting Leda and the Swan

Luxembourg Palace

A stone's throw from the fountain is the Luxembourg Palace, the main building in relation to which the entire composition of the garden is built. In front of the palace is a large stepped space of an octagonal fountain.

The Observatory Avenue extends from the fountain, which ends with another fountain depicting the 4 cardinal directions.

Maria de Medici grew up in Florence in the Pitti Palace and wanted the palace being built for her to be similar to her Florentine home.
Anyone who has been to Florence will probably find it difficult to recognize the absolutely French in spirit Luxembourg Palace, monumental as a wall and unshakable as a fortress, as the last and most magnificent of the three palaces belonging to the Medici clan in Florence.

In such cases they say “based on motives.”

For the planned construction, an estate was purchased from the Duke of Luxembourg. The name of the previous owner gave the name to the palace and garden.

The Luxembourg Palace took 16 years to build, from 1615 to 1631, by the architect Salomon de Brosses (who is also the author of the Medici fountain).
To decorate the palace, the Antwerp artist Peter Paul Rubens, who was famous at that time, was invited to Paris, who really did his best and, in addition to furnishing the interiors, within two years (1622-1624) painted 21 paintings for the Luxembourg Palace on the theme “The Life of Marie de Medici "and 3 portraits. They are all now in the Louvre.

Maria de Medici herself did not have long to live in the palace built for her - in July 1531 she fled from Paris.
The palace has seen a lot over the several centuries of its existence. During the French Revolution it was turned into a prison for eminent prisoners. Both the founders of the revolution, Danton and Desmoulins, as well as lesser-known personalities at that time, such as, say, Josephine Beauharnais, were kept here. Josephine was lucky to escape the guillotine and subsequently become Napoleon's wife. Who, having come to power, chose the Luxembourg Palace for his residence. These are the unexpected turns.

During World War II, the palace housed the General Staff of the Luftwaffe, and Goering stayed here while in Paris.
Now the French Senate sits in the palace, and it is difficult to get there if you are not a senator.
But you can visit the Luxembourg Museum, which is located to the left of the palace (if we assume that the Medici fountain is on the right).

Map of the Luxembourg Gardens

Park area

The regular “French” park is being replaced by a natural “English” one, which has its own adherents.

But still, the “French” part of the garden looks more impressive

The harmony is disrupted by the black “tooth” of the Montparnasse tower - it always sticks out inappropriately

The left bank of Paris is famous for the magical charm of a truly French flavor. Here, every brick of ancient mansions is imbued with subtle notes of the Parisian mood, which sweeps through the centuries in romantic waves through small cafes, majestic cathedrals, captivating rose gardens and the smiling eyes of noisy townspeople.

And the center of this beautiful area, which is called the “Latin Quarter”, is a luxurious park at the very end of the Boulevard San Michel - the Luxembourg Gardens. This place is not only permeated with the tender lines of Akhmatova, Tsvetaeva, Brodsky, Diderot, Rousseau, Ernst Hemingway, and it attracts not only because it is one of the main cultural heritage of the French capital, but primarily because the Luxembourg Garden is imbued with that very unique energy of the left bank.

You can get to the Luxembourg Gardens either by walking along Boulevard San Michel to the very end, or by taking the metro to the Luxembourg station. Behind a high wrought-iron fence, which you will immediately notice as you approach the desired location, hides a garden covering an area of ​​twenty-six hectares.

If you make a little historical reference, it should be said that the center of the park is the luxurious palace of Marie de Medici - the Luxembourg Palace. Previously, works by Rubens dedicated to the queen hung there, and now periodically exhibitions of artists and sculptors of different schools and directions are held. Admission to them is completely free, since the masters are exhibited to gain fame and in the hope that the city or some admirer of this type of creativity will purchase their work.

The Luxembourg Garden is also famous for the most romantic and beautiful fountain in Paris - the Medici Fountain. In addition, the first variation of the Statue of Liberty was located in the garden (in 2012 it was moved to the Orsay Museum), which today adorns the “big apple” of the United States. Besides all this, the park is full of interesting statues, which on the one hand simply add a design idea to the arrangement of plants and flowers, and on the other, some of them are small pieces of the great French heritage. For example, the statue of the Scottish Queen Mary Stuart stands almost invisible in a corner under a sad chestnut tree. It is difficult to find, but yet it is known throughout the world and has been sung in the poems of a considerable number of poets.

The territory of the Luxembourg Gardens is huge and is divided into two main parts: the central pompous part in front of the palace, decorated with a huge fountain, crazy and beautiful flower arrangements, and numerous alleys with passages, clearings, sculptures, benches, cafeterias and cozy gazebos. You can’t get lost in the park and we are more than sure that everyone will enjoy wandering around it.

And so, the central part. Firstly, this is simply a stunning place for photographs, especially in spring and early summer, when all the splendor of countless flower beds and shrubs is wrapped in luxurious blooms of amazing flowers. The French often spend their leisure time here, sitting on benches with a bottle of water, a baguette, a book or just a cigarette to catch their breath, relax after a working day or bask in the sun instead of whileing away time in stuffy rooms.

The Luxembourg Garden is the most “French” of all the parks in the city, because only here you can see the true purpose of the green places in Paris, how exactly Parisians spend their free time, and, finally, become one of them, comfortably sitting on an armchair by the fountain, inhaling the aroma of roses and enjoying the freshness of the greenery, hiding from such a distant and at the same time immeasurably close city center.

If you delve deeper into the alleys of this magical garden, you can find simply a great variety of interesting places to spend your leisure time. It’s probably worth starting with a small cafe, which is hidden in the shade of trees directly opposite the famous Medici fountain already mentioned above. If you come to this place in the morning, you can appreciate one of the most magnificent breakfasts in Paris. Without a doubt, it will be appreciated by lovers of French croissants, but supporters of the opposite point of view should also take note of this cafe. After all, it is quite possible that once they have been there, they will subsequently change it!

In this small outdoor cafe with openwork wrought iron tables, which in the fall are filled with yellow maple leaves and literally drown in them, simply amazing croissants and baguettes are baked every morning. Airy, soft, flawless and literally melting in your mouth. Believe me, breakfast in this place is worth it in the morning to avoid the tempting snack at the hotel and get (maybe even through the whole city) to a sophisticated and lyrical cafe in the depths of the Luxembourg Gardens.

By the way, not far from the cafe there are basketball courts and tennis courts, where anyone can play by renting rackets and balls right on the spot. Here they play “ball” - a certain French ancestor of golf, when several iron and wooden balls are thrown in a certain order into a hole on the lawn. In the park you can ride a horse, a pony, an antique carriage, or even an antique carousel that is over a hundred years old.

The Luxembourg garden is a great place to spend pleasant leisure time or a picnic on the grass, or even just to sit on the lawn or chair and bask in the sun for a while. Or just relax, inhaling the aroma of a fresh Parisian morning, and then take a stroll through the luxurious Luxembourg Garden, which is simply immaculate in the morning.

It is flawless in summer, when tired Parisians hide from the sweltering heat under the crowns of ancient trees, and in autumn, when golden leaves magically fall on lonely cafe tables and elegant benches, and in winter, when the rainy freshness of the gray stone of the royal palace whispers about the eternity of its beauty, and in spring, when an endless array of luxurious flowers envelops every corner of the park with fireworks of colors and aromas.

The Luxembourg garden is always impeccable... Let me put an ellipsis, and you can put an end to this statement yourself when your foot steps on the rough gravel of the main alley of the pearl of Parisian parks.

The Luxembourg Gardens and the palace located in it are one of the most beautiful attractions in Paris. Here you can admire the beautiful palace, fountains, many sculptures, or simply take a break from the city noise on the green lawns or shady alleys.

Since its founding, the park has been very popular among Parisians and guests of the city. If you find yourself in the 6th district of Paris, be sure to visit this beautiful and romantic corner, located near Notre Dame and Sorbonne University.

• (price: 286.00 €, 3 hours)

History of the Luxembourg Gardens

The history of the Luxembourg Gardens dates back to 1611, when the Dowager Queen Marie de' Medici had a desire to build a palace in the Italian style and lay out a garden around it, reminiscent of the queen's homeland - Florence. To do this, she acquired a plot of land in the suburbs of Paris from the Duke of Luxembourg. The architect of the palace, Salomon de Bruce, used as a basis the design of the Florentine palace in which the future queen of France grew up.

Simultaneously with the construction work, the area around the palace was being developed. A beautiful fountain appeared in front of its façade, and other bodies of water were installed in the garden. An open aqueduct resembling a bridge was built to supply them with water. In 1624, another fountain appeared, named in honor of Marie de Medici. Today, this particular corner of the Luxembourg Gardens is considered its most romantic place.

The territory of the garden and its appearance changed several times. In 1617, part of the lands located near it that belonged to the Carthusian monastery were annexed to the garden. Then the grandson of Marie de' Medici, Louis XIV, ordered the addition of a horseshoe-shaped ramp to the grand Avenue de l'Observatoire, which runs through the prime meridian, which once passed in Paris. At the end of the 18th century, for the restoration of the palace, the garden was reduced by 6 hectares. When the French Revolution seized the lands of the Carthusian monastery, some of them were annexed to the Luxembourg Gardens. True, during these years the garden and palace became a prison for the French nobility, but the situation soon changed. Even unpleasant memories did not prevent the French nobility from again walking along the alleys, which at one time were prisons for them.

Another change occurred already in 1865, when the territory of the garden was cut by Rue Auguste Comte. The decision of Napoleon III, on whose orders this street was built, was not influenced even by the mass protests of the French intelligentsia, who collected about 12,000 signatures in defense of the garden. Construction work affected the botanical garden and tree nursery, which were especially loved by the famous writer Guy de Maupassant. In justification for Napoleon III, it can be said that at the same time the alleys were filled with beautiful marble statues decorating the garden.

Sights of the Luxembourg Gardens

The garden is famous not only for its green terraces and flower beds, but also for its real works of art. On its territory there are 106 sculptures, fountains and several buildings.

This masterpiece of architecture was erected a few years after the creation of the park by order of Marie de Medici. The palace was conceived as a reminder of her native possessions in Florence, the longing for which did not leave her for many years.

The chief architect presented the project in such a way that it resembled the Tuscan architecture desired by Maria only externally, while the building itself was based on the approach of the classical French school. The style of this majestic palace is borderline - it is no longer Renaissance, but it cannot be completely classified as Baroque.

The entrance is in the central part, which is crowned by a dome. In front of it there is a courtyard closed on all sides. In earlier times, there were pavilions on the sides, decorated with columns. The palace fascinates with its incomparable splendor and inherent grace. It has gone through a rich history, at one time it was even a prison, and now the Senate sits in the palace and houses a museum.

Greenhouse and greenhouses

Gardeners change the assortment of plants in each flower garden three times a year. To maintain decorativeness, the park staff grows and cultivates plantings in the greenhouse, which subsequently serve as decoration for the garden and palace.

There are about 180 species of plants, including tropical ones, in it and in the greenhouses. In summer, the greenhouse houses temporary exhibitions that tourists can view.

Fountains

Medici Fountain ( Fontaine Medicis). The embodiment of Baroque architecture attracts with its beauty and unusual composition. The center of the fountain is an illustration of an archaic myth - a huge centaur who is preparing to jump on the naked Galatea and Acis.

On the other side is a bas-relief depicting Leda and a swan. The front part of the fountain is represented by a pond, the clear waters of which are inhabited by fish.

The Observatory Fountain (Fontaine de l’Observatoire) was created thanks to the joint work of several architects. The center of his composition is four girls who hold the earthly sphere on their fragile shoulders.

Women represent the four continents - Africa, Eurasia, North and South America; the faces of each of them have features that the inhabitants of these parts of the world possess. Australia is not represented in this sculptural group, since, according to the creators, it would disrupt the harmony.

The Delacroix fountain (fountane Delacroix) was installed in the garden at the end of the 19th century.

It is a rectangular pool with a bust of the artist and six jets of water.

Sculptures

Along the perimeter of the central terrace of the park there are 20 statues of European queens and famous women. Among them are statues:

• French queens: Saint Bathilda, Bertrada of Laon, Mary Stuart, Anne of Austria, Anne of Brittany, Margaret of Provence, Clotilde of Burgundy, Blanche of Castile, Marie de Medici;
• Queen Matilda of Flanders of England;
• Saint Genevieve of Paris;
• Petrarch's beloved Laura de Nove;
• Queens of Navarre Margaret de Valois and Jeanne d'Albret;
• Duchess of Orleans Valentina Visconti;
• regents of France Anne de Beaujeu and Louise of Savoy;
• symbol of Toulouse Clémence Isor;
• Queen Consort of Spain Marie Louise of Orléans;
• Queen of England Mary of Anjou (until 1876, a statue of Joan of Arc stood in her place).

Statues dedicated to scenes and heroes of ancient Greek mythology. Among them is a sculptural group with the middle-aged satyr Silenus; Theseus fighting the Minotaur; Ario and the dolphin; Hercules turning the course of the Alpheus River and others.
Animal statues by sculptor Auguste Cain;

Statues of famous personalities, including:

• composers Beethoven, Chopin, Jules Massenet;
• poets and writers Henri Murger, Flaubert, Baudelaire, Paul Verlaine, George Sand;
• political figures Mendens-France, Pierre Guillaume Frederic Le Play;
• artist Jean Antoine Watteau;
• inventor Edouard Branly.

The two-meter Statue of Liberty (statue de la Liberté), which became the prototype of the American symbol and created by the same sculptor, no longer stands in the park. It served as a decoration for the Luxembourg Gardens until 2011, but one day, under the cover of darkness, someone sawed off the hand with the torch. The restoration of the statue took two years, and then, in order to avoid repeating this story, it was installed in a protected gallery.

How to get there

Address: 6th arrondissement of Paris, Paris 75006
Telephone: +33 1 42 34 23 62
Metro: Notre-Dame-des-Champs
RER train: Luxembourg
Updated: 12/10/2018