TUILERIES GARDEN

Description

Essentials about the Tuileries Garden in brief

The Tuileries Garden is one of the finest examples of French horticultural art. Due to its prominent location in the heart of Paris and surrounded by some of the most famous landmarks, the Tuileries Garden is also one of the most visited gardens in the French capital. The park stretches from the Louvre in the east to the Place de la Concorde in the west and is bordered by the Rue de Rivoli in the north and the Seine in the south.

The history of the Tuileries Garden

The garden was originally laid out as the palace park of the Palais des Tuileries, which was built on the current site at the end of the 16th century. Its name comes from a brickyard that was located here before the construction of the palace. The garden was designed according to the taste of the then French queen of Italian origin, Catherine de Medici, in the style of the Italian Renaissance.

Over the following decades, the Tuileries Garden was redesigned several times. The largest transformation into the Baroque form still seen today occurred in the late 17th century during the reign of Louis XIV, under the direction of star landscape architect André Le Nôtre. He replaced streets with terraces, redesigned the parterre, widened the central path into an avenue of chestnut trees, had fountains built, and created the large octagonal pool at the end of the garden. During the Paris Commune uprising in 1871, the Palais des Tuileries burned down completely and was never rebuilt. However, the garden has been preserved until today.

The sights in the Tuileries Garden

Two historic buildings remain in the western area of the Tuileries Garden: the former Orangerie and the former Jeu de Paume ballroom, both of which are now used as exhibition spaces. The Orangerie houses the Musée de l’Orangerie, which displays works of Impressionism, Late Impressionism and the École de Paris. The Ballhaus houses the Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume, with exhibitions of contemporary photography and video art. Also in the garden itself are some statues by Maillol, Rodin and Giacometti, which should not be missed during a walk.