Bois de Boulogne description and photos - France: Paris (Topic)

Bois de Boulogne description and photos - France: Paris. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Bois de Boulogne.

Photo and description

Bois de Boulogne is perhaps the most famous green area on the western outskirts of Paris, with a rich history. Today it is one of the "lungs" of the French capital, providing the metropolis with oxygen (the second "lung" is the Bois de Vincennes in the east of the capital).

The ancient oak forest of Rouvray, which once surrounded Lutetia, was first mentioned in chronicles 717 Years: It is recorded that Childeric II of the Merovingian dynasty donated these lands to the Abbey of Saint Denis. Four and a half centuries later, Philip Augustus Crooked bought the land from the monks for hunting. In 1308, another Philip - Handsome - married his daughter to the English king Edward. The wedding took place in the cathedral of the seaside city of Boulogne-sur-Mer. Returning, the king ordered the construction of the Small Cathedral of Our Lady of Boulogne in the forest. This is how the forest got its name.

In the Middle Ages, he had a dubious fame: during the Hundred Years War, numerous robbers settled here. Fighting with them, the Duke of Burgundy in 1416-1417 burned part of the forest. Louis XI planted it again. Under Francis I, the construction of the royal castle Chateau de Madrid was completed here, the hunting grounds were surrounded by walls. Henry IV tried to found a silk factory here, planting 15,000 mulberry trees. His ex-wife Marguerite de Valois, after the divorce, lived in the Chateau de la Muette located here. It was from here that on November 21, 1783, the scientist Pilatre de Rosier and the Marquis d'Arland took off for the first time in the world on a hot air balloon. In 25 minutes they flew over the Seine and landed safely.

Since the beginning of the 18th century, the forest has become a favorite walking place for the nobility, but Louis XIV opened it to all walks of life. In 1775, the king's brother Philip of Orleans, on a bet with his daughter-in-law Marie-Antoinette, built the Bagatelle palace here in just two months (in French une bagatelle - "trifle"). The prince won the bet with the help of 900 workers who worked day and night.

Napoleon III completely reconstructed the forest: he laid 80 kilometers of alleys, planted 400 thousand trees, lakes and canals. The forest was landscaped under the leadership of the Prefect of Paris, Baron Haussmann. Now more than half of all the trees here are still oaks. There are bicycle paths 14 kilometers long, ten restaurants. In the northern part of the forest, there is a children's park with a menagerie.

At the same time, the Bois de Boulogne has long had a reputation as a hot spot and retains it now - in the evening and at night prostitutes work here.

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Topic: Bois de Boulogne description and photos - France: Paris.