Near the Jacquemart-André Museum is the Parc Monceau. It’s a very beautiful park but I am seldom there as it’s nowhere near where I live-it’s in the 8th arrondissement. It’s different from most parks and when I was getting ready to post on my visit there I did a Google search and it has a fascinating history. It was established by Phillippe d’Orléans, Duke of Chartres, who was a cousin of King Louis XVI. He decided to created a public park and being a lover of English gardens, wanted it to be similar, full of what are called follies, which are reconstructions of buildings from different ages and countries. He wanted to surprise and amaze visitors. When it was first created there was an Egyptian pyramid, a Roman colonnade, antique statues, a pond of water lilies, a farmhouse, a Dutch windmill and on and on. There were often unusual animals there too, such as camels. In the end, despite being a member of the assembly that voted to execute his cousin, he too became a victim of the guillotine and the park was nationalized.
The park was reduced by half in size and houses of the wealthy were built on the property. When Napoleon III came into power, Haussmann, that great city architect, did a lot of redesigning of the park. In 1871 after the downfall of Napoleon, there was a rising of what is called the Paris Commune which was then crushed and the park was the site of a massacre of the Communards by army troops. (This also happened in Pere Lachaise Cemetery). So, wow, lots of history, right?
I love Parc Monceau. So the Duke intended it to be open to the public, or only aristocracy? Strange that it would have been shrunk in favor of the rich after the revolution.
Linda, That is a truly interesting history. I’ve never visited Parc Monceau, but the name sounded so familiar. I found a painting by Monet that is set there, but I feel like maybe Renoir painted something there too. Here’s the link to the Monet painting which is at The Met in New York. http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437108
Thanks for playing along with Dreaming of France today. Here’s my Dreaming of France meme
Parc Monceau is so lovely. It’s such a wonderful place to picnic, people watch and rest ones weary feet. I had no idea there are so many entrance gates. We always go in the gate by the gorgeous mansion and straight out the park by some embassy. I have many beautiful photos of the “ruin.”