TROCADÉRO

Description

Essentials about the Trocadéro in brief

For the Paris International Exposition in 1878, a site was developed that was located directly opposite the Eiffel Tower on the other side of the Seine and was, so to speak, the extension of the Champ de Mars. It consisted of the Palais du Trocadéro exhibition building and the Jardins du Trocadéro gardens in front of it. Today, the Trocadéro is a popular place for a walk or sunbathing, mainly because of its terraces with fountains and its beautiful gardens.

The complex of the Trocadéro

Incidentally, the name “Trocadéro” is a reminder of the Isla del Trocadero peninsula off Cadiz in Spain, which the French seized in 1823 to reinstate the absolutist monarchy in Spain. The main building of the Palais du Trocadéro was demolished, except for its side wings, for the Paris International Exposition in 1937, and as such was never replaced. After additions, these enormous side wings have since formed the two unconnected parts of the Palais de Chaillot, which itself has no central building. From the open space thus created on the square of the former Palais du Trocadéro and from the gardens, one has probably the most famous view of the Eiffel Tower. No wonder that every day thousands of tourists pull out their cameras to get the best snapshot of the Eiffel Tower.

The Jardins du Trocadéro, which covers almost 94,000 square meters, is divided into several terraces. On the central terrace is the Fountain of Warsaw, where 20 water cannons shoot up into the air, forming 56 fountains. The water then flows down side stairs into an elongated basin that reaches the bottom of the slope. The fountains are highlighted by an impressive light show in the evening.

The Jardins du Trocadéro

While the open terraces in the center of the gardens consist of wide promenades, the areas on either side are densely planted with deciduous trees. An artificial stream runs through the irregularly laid out gardens. A wide variety of tree species can be found here, such as beech, chestnut, linden, oak, and a hundred-year-old hazelnut bush. The gardens are sporadically decorated with sculptures, most of which date from the 1930s.