The Jardin des Tuileries is one of Paris's most visited gardens thanks to its central location between the Louvre and Place de la Concorde. As such the Tuileries are part of a grand central axis leading from the Louvre all the way to La Défense, the city's business district.
In the early 16th century the area was a clay
quarry for tiles (tuilerie in French, hence the name).
After the death of her husband Henri II in 1559, Catherine de Médicis
had a Palace built at the tuileries, the Palais de Tuileries.
The palace featured a large garden in Italian style, reminding her of
her native Tuscany.
Le Nôtre's Design
Between 1660 and 1664 the garden was
redesigned in French formal style by André Le Nôtre, the celebrated
gardener of the Sun King, best known for his design of the gardens at
the Versailles Palace.
Le Nôtre built a terrace along the riverbank and opened up a central
axis which he extended three years later with the creation of the Champs-Elysées.
The Jardin des Tuileries was one of the first parks to open to the public and it quickly became a place to see and be seen. Even in the 18th century the park featured amenities such as cafes, kiosks, deck chairs and public toilets.
The Palais des Tuileries, situated near the Arc du Carrousel, was razed in 1871 by the Communards, opening up the view from the
Louvre to the Arc de Triomphe.
The Jardin des Tuileries was one of the first parks to open to the public and it quickly became a place to see and be seen. Even in the 18th century the park featured amenities such as cafes, kiosks, deck chairs and public toilets.
The Palais des Tuileries, situated near the Arc du Carrousel, was razed in 1871 by the Communards, opening up the view from the
Renovation
Most recently renovated in 1990, Le Nôtre's formal
design of the Tuileries garden has been kept intact. At the same time
the park was separated from car traffic.
Many modern sculptures were added and in 1999 the Passerelle de
Solférino (now the Passerelle Léopold-Sédar-Senghor), a footbridge
across the Seine opened, linking the Tuileries with the Musée d'Orsay.
The Park Today
Like the Jardin du Luxembourg, Jardin des Tuileries is one of those parks where you can grab a chair for free and sit wherever you like.
It
also features several fountains, two large basins, numerous sculptures
and two museums, the Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume and the Musée de
l'Orangerie, which displays Claude Monet's large water lily paintings .
Those two buildings are the only remains of the original Palais de
Tuileries.
Orangerie
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