The Tuileries Garden; One of the world’s first public parks
Categories : Visit Paris, published on : 11/10/14
Situated between the Louvre Museum and the Place de la Concorde can be found one of the most visited public parks in Paris, the Tuileries Garden. It is a charming place where you can stroll amidst superb statuary, ornamental ponds and an atmosphere rich with history and culture. At The Chess Hotel you will be a convenient 1½ miles from this significant landmark.
The royal history of the Tuileries Garden
Queen Catherine de Medicis was an Italian noblewoman who, as the wife of King Henry II, was Queen of France from 1547 to 1559. Following the death of her husband, she moved from her previous residence near the Bastille to the Louvre Palace. However, she wished to have a royal palace of her own with an Italian Renaissance inspired garden that would remind her of those of her native Tuscany.
Built on the site of land formerly occupied by roof tile workshops called tuileries, the palace was first occupied in 1564. Since then the garden has been extended and remodeled and has long outlasted the Tuileries Palace, which was burned down by the Paris Commune in 1871.
Today the Tuileries Garden largely retains the French formal style designed by King Louis XIV’s gardener, André Le Nôtre, having become one of the world’s first public parks in 1667. It is the epitome of elegance, with several fountains, exquisite ornamental ponds and a plethora of statues by sculptors such as Rodin and Maillol. The park has two museums, the Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume, and the Musée de l'Orangerie, where visitors can enjoy the works of Claude Monet.
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• Jardin des Tuileries, Park 113 Rue de Rivoli, Paris 1er
Metro : Tuileries, line 1
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Picture copyright holder: Tourist Office Paris - Photographer David Lefranc
The Chess Hotel, a chic 4 * hotel close to the Opera Garnier
