Jardin du Luxembourg
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The Jardin du Luxembourg is the largest public park (224,500 m² (22.5 hectares) located in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, France. Luxembourg is the garden of the French Senate, which is itself housed in the Luxembourg Palace.
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[edit] Features
The garden is largely devoted to a green parterre of gravel and lawn populated with statues and provided with large basins of water where children sail model boats. The garden is famed for its calm atmosphere. Surrounding the pond are a series of statues of former French queens. In the southwest corner, there is an orchard of apple and pear trees and the théâtre des marionnettes (puppet theatre).The gardens include a large fenced-in playground for young children and their parents. There is a purple monkey with a banjo on a merry-go-round. On occasion, pony rides are also available. In addition, free musical performances are presented in a gazebo on the grounds and there is an anonymous, inexpensive restaurant nearby, under the trees, with both indoor and outdoor seating from which many people enjoy the music over a glass of wine.
The École nationale supérieure des Mines de Paris and the Odéon theatre stand next to the Luxembourg Garden.
Open hours depend on the month: opening between 7:30 and 8:15 am; closing between 4:45 and 9:45 pm
[edit] Statuary
The garden contains just over a hundred statues, monuments, and fountains, scattered throughout the grounds. Surrounding the central green space are about twenty figures of historical French queens and female saints, standing on pedestals, including statues of Jeanne III of Navarre, Blanche of Castile, Anne of Austria, Louise of Savoy, and Anne of France.
Other sculptured work includes:
- Pierre Guillaume Frédéric le Play, by André Joseph Allar, 1906
- Statue of Liberty, first model, by Frédéric Bartholdi, 1870
- La Bocca della Verità, by Jules Blanchard
- Ludwig von Beethoven, by Antoine Bourdelle, placed here 1978
- Monument to Henri Murger, by Théophile-Henri Bouillon, 1895
- multiple animal sculptures by Auguste Cain
- Homage to Delacroix, 1890, and Le Triomphe de Silène, 1885, both by Jules Dalou
- Monument to Jean-Antoine Watteau, by Henri Désiré Gauquié, 1896
- Narcissus, 1869, and Arion assis sur un dauphin, 1870, both by Ernest-Eugène Hiolle
- Hippomenes by Jean Antoine Injalbert
- Bust of Charles Baudelaire, by Pierre Félix Masseau
- Polyphemus Surprising Acis and Galatea, the Fontaine Médicis, by Auguste Ottin, 1866
- Clémence Isaure by Antoine-Augustin Préault
- Theseus and the Minotaur, by Etienne-Jules Ramey, 1826
- Hercules Diverting the River Alpheus, 1900, and L'Effort, 1902, both by Pierre Roche
- Paul Verlaine, by Rodo (Auguste de Niederhäusern), 1911
- Monument to Édouard Branly, by Charles Marie Louis Joseph Sarrabezolles
- Georges Sand, by François-Léon Sicard, 1904
- Jules Massenet, by Raoul Verlet, 1926
[edit] Fountain of the Observatory
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: la Fontaine des Quatre-Parties-du-Monde |
At the southern tip of the Jardin du Luxembourg, technically the Jardin Marco Polo, stands the 1874 "Fountain of the Observatory", also known as the "Fontaine des Quatre-du-Parties-World" or the "Carpeaux Fountain", for its sculptures by Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux . It was installed as part of the development of the Avenue de l'Observatoire by Gabriel Davioud in 1867.
The bronze fountain represents the work of four sculptors: Louis Vuillemot carved the garlands and festoons around the pedestal, Pierre Legrain carved the armillary with interior globe and zodiac band; the animalier Emmanuel Fremiet designed the eight horses, marine turtles and spouting fish. Most importantly Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux sculpted the four nude women supporting the globe, representing the Four Continents of classical iconography.
[edit] Trivia
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Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (October 2007) |
- On December 7, 1815, Marshal of France Michel Ney was executed here by firing squad after having been convicted on a charge of treason for joining Napoléon Bonaparte during the Hundred Days.
- The painting Luxembourg Gardens by Henri Matisse was stolen during an armed robbery of the Chaara do Ceu museum where it was housed.
- The Luxembourg Garden (and its boat lake) features prominently in the French in Action instructional television series and in Ludwig Bemelmans' classic children's picture book Madeline.
- The garden is where Marius meets Jean Valjean and Cosette in Les Misérables.
- George Orwell spent his time there when he was Down and Out in Paris and London
[edit] Images
 Gardens in front of the Palais de Luxembourg |
 People relaxing in the "Luco" |
 The Luxembourg Palace seen from the garden |
 Panoramic view of the Jardin du Luxembourg |
 Marie de Médicis' fountain, now with Polyphemus Surprising Acis and Galatea, by Auguste Ottin (1866) |
 Borders of annuals in August |
 A version of the Arrotino under a beech |
 Fontaine de l'Observatoire, at southern end |
[edit] External links
- The Luxembourg Gardens page at the Project for Public Spaces
- The Jardin du Luxembourg - Current and old photographs of the garden, statues, fountains
- Detailed map with sculptures
- The Luxembourg Gardens at Twilight - One of a series of paintings featuring the gardens by American (b. Italy) artist John Singer Sargent
- Webpages about the Garden (French)
[edit] Bibliography
- André Arnold-Peltier,Vassili Karist, Le jardin du Luxembourg / The Luxembourg gardens, Éditions PIPPA, collection Itinérances (ISBN 978-2-916506-00-4) 14€90 (photos)
[edit] See also
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jardin du Luxembourg |
