Tuesday: May 25
Parc des Buttes Chaumont
The Parc des Buttes-Chaumont is a highlight as it lives on a rocky hill with views of Sacre Coeur. The park is judged by some to be Europe's most romantic public park. Built out of a disused quarry it is a wonderful example of how to create beauty out of the nothing.
Parc des Buttes-Chaumont is the third largest park in Paris. 5 kilometers of trails and paths lead you through some lovely and stunning landscaping. Look forward to high cliffs, great trees, water that falls off a 32 meter cliff (105 ft) into the circular lake. Enjoy the iron bridge which springs from a cliff face to the pinnacle crowned by the Temple of Sybil.
Parc des Buttes Chaumont
The Parc des Buttes Chaumont is a public garden situated in the 19th
arrondissement of Paris, France. The name of the park is composed of two words,
buttes (hills or heights), and Chaumont, which is probably a contraction of
chauve (bald) and mont (mount). The park is the third largest of its kind in
Paris encompassing over 5 kilometers of trails and paths. The main feature of
the park is the Belvedere (or Temple) of Sybil which sits at the top of an
island in the middle of a lake.
The park, developed by Baron Haussmann and the engineer, Jean-Charles Alphand,
is on the site of a former gypsum and limestone quarry mined for the
construction of buildings in Paris and the United States. The park was
commissioned by the French Emperor, Napoleon III, after the land was annexed to
Paris in 1860. After four years of construction, it was opened as part of the
festivities of the Universal Exhibition in 1867.
When established in 1867, the park was envisioned by Napoleon III as a garden
showcase. This original intent of the park continues to guide the park's
direction. Currently, there are over 47 species of plants, trees, and shrubs
cultivated in the park. Many of the plants and trees found in the park were
those originally planted when the park was created.
The attractions of the Parc des Buttes Chaumont are numerous. The park includes
several cliffs and bridges, a grotto that encloses a 20-meter high waterfall, a
lake, and several English and Chinese gardens.
The most prominent feature is the belvedere or Temple of Sybil, which sits atop
a 30 meter rocky peak at the top of an island partially surrounded by a lake.
The belvedere, added to the park in 1869, is a Corinthian-style monument,
modeled after the ancient Roman temple of Sybil in Tivoli, Italy.
A 63 meter long suspension bridge, renovated in 2009, crosses the lake and
allows access to the island. A 22 meter high bridge, known as the "suicide
bridge", allows access to the belvedere from the south side of the park.
The park boasts many varieties of indigenous and exotic trees (many of which are
Asian species): in particular, several cedars of Lebanon planted in 1880,
Himalayan cedars, Ginko Biloba, Byzantine hazelnuts, Siberian elms, European
hollies, and bamboo-leafed prickly ashes, among many others.
The main entrance to the park is at Place Armand-Carrel where the mairie (town
hall) of the 19th arrondissement is located. There are five other large gates to
the park as well as seven smaller gates on the park perimeter.
Click here to see other pictures.
Click here to see other pictures.
Palais de Tokyo
The Palais de Tokyo is a building dedicated to modern and contemporary art,
located at 13 avenue du Président-Wilson, near theTrocadéro. The eastern wing of
the building belongs to the City of Paris and hosts the Musée d'Art Moderne de
la Ville de Paris (Museum of Modern Art of the City of Paris). The western wing
belongs to the French state and hosts since 2002, the Palais de Tokyo / Site de
création contemporaine.
The building is separated from the Seine river by the avenue de New-York, which
was formerly named Quai Debilly and later Avenue de Tokio (from 1918 to 1945).
The name Palais de Tokyo derives from the name of this street.
The Palais de Tokyo was inaugurated by president Lebrun on May 24, 1937, at the
time of the International Exhibition of Arts and Technology of 1937. The
original name of the building was Palais des Musées d'art moderne ("Palace of
the Museums of modern art"). The building has since then hosted a number of
establishments, projects, and creative spaces. Among them; le musée d'art et
d'essai (1977-1986), FEMIS, le Centre National de la Photographie, and in 1986
the Palais de Cinema. The current museum's exhibit space opened to the public in
January 2002.
The Pavillon was established in 2001. Intended as a studio and laboratory space
for resident artists and curators invited to the project, the Pavillon is an
experimental program, designed to demonstrate the resident artists' youthful
creativity.
Click on the picture for a larger image.
Click on the picture for a larger image.