General Information

Although Parc Monceau is not the largest park in Paris, it is considered to be one of the most charming and appealing ones. Being a little unusual in Paris because of its English style, the former garden of the Duke of Orleans has become one of the favourite places to rest for those who are looking for peace and quiet away from the busy city.

Features and facilities: highlights

With its numerous attractions such as architectural follies, statues, waterways, large trees and flower beds, Parc Monceau is very popular among people of all ages.

Features and facilities: explained

The English style of the garden with its informal layout, curved walkways and randomly placed statues distinguishes it from the more traditional, French-style gardens. There you’ll find age-old trees, broken Roman columns, archways, waterways, boulders, a cave, a grotto, and abundantly planted flower beds. The park includes a collection of scaled-down architectural features, or follies, such as an Egyptian pyramid, a Chinese fort, a Dutch windmill and Corinthian pillars. There is also a collection of statues of famous French figures including Guy de Maupassant, Frédéric Chopin, Alfred de Musset and Edouard Pailleron. An interesting fact is that the park also claims to have some of the largest trees in Paris, two of which are Oriental plane trees. Parc Monceau is enclosed with a large fence and the entrances are guarded by gold-tipped wrought-iron gates. Because of its playgrounds Park Monceau is well-liked by children. The flower gardens are also a popular place for a morning or evening stroll.

History: Highlights

Park Monceau, the former garden of the Duke of Chartres was designed in the 18th century and witnessed the excesses of the French Revolution, the first parachute jump and the massacre of the members of the French Commune.

History: Explained

The park was established by Phillippe d’Orléans, Duke of Chartres. In 1769, he started buying land on which he intended to establish the garden. The Duke engaged Louis Carrogis Carmontelle to design the garden in an English style, which is much less formal than that of traditional French gardens, and it is what distinguished Parc Monceau from many other parks in Paris. Carmontelle added sculptures of famous Frenchmen as well as small-scale architectural features such as a pyramid, a windmill and some Corinthian pillars. In 1793, during the French Revolution, the Duke was executed by a guillotine and the garden was taken into public ownership. Interestingly, in 1797 the park was the site of the first silk parachute jump, when André-Jacques Garnerin jumped from a Montgolfier hot air balloon and landed in the park, where a large crowd was gathered.

In 1860 the garden was bought by the City of Paris and adapted into the park that it is today. Parc Monceau was inaugurated by Napoleon III on August 13, 1861.

In 1871 the park was the site of a massacre following the formation of the Commune. The Versailles troops eventually took back the city and slaughtered all remnants of the uprising during the so-called ‘Bloody Week’. Parc Monceau, like several other public spaces, was the site of the killing of many members of the Commune.

Interesting Facts

Claude Monet painted a series of three paintings of the park in the spring of 1876. He produced two further paintings of the park in 1878. Hector Berlioz was also fond of Parc Monceau.

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