Description of the attraction
The Bois de Vincennes is the largest of the green areas of Paris, with an area of almost 10 square kilometers. It is located east of Paris, in the suburban Vincennes. Administratively, however, the territory belongs to the XII district of the capital.
The Bois de Vincennes has been home to the hunting grounds of the French kings for centuries. The first to start trading here was the founder of the Capetian dynasty, Hugo Capet (940-996). His descendant Louis XII built a hunting lodge here. Philip-Augustus Crooked (the first monarch who called himself the title "King of France", before him there were only "kings of the Franks") the estate expanded and surrounded the forest with a fence. In the XIV-XVII centuries, the Vincennes castle was built on the site of the hunting lodge, which is now located on the northern edge of the forest. Many noble country estates appeared in the vicinity. The territory of the forest was constantly ennobled for the walks of the king and his entourage.
The French Revolution swept away this prosperity - the forest was turned into a training ground for military exercises. On a large area (166 hectares), trees were uprooted, barracks, a shooting range, and ammunition depots were built. The forest fell into desolation.
In the middle of the 19th century, the last French monarch, Napoleon III, drew attention to the deplorable state of the forest and, by his decree, initiated its transformation into the largest park. The project was led by the architect Jean-Pierre Barilier-Deschamps and the engineer Jean-Charles Alfan. They planned the territory in the form of an English park with a network of lakes and canals, with trees of many kinds. The forest was filled with fountains, bridges, pavilions and restaurants. Napoleon III also took an unexpected step for the monarch: he made the Bois de Vincennes public and donated it to the city of Paris.
In the 30s of the XX century, roads for cars and cyclists were laid here. In 1969, in the east of the forest, on the site of a former military parade ground, the Flower Park was opened. It was executed in the Japanese style, popular after the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. The park has a unique collection (650 species) of irises; bulbous plants, tulips, ferns are widely represented.
The Bois de Vincennes is now a favorite vacation spot for many Parisians. Its roads are closed to traffic, but open to pedestrians and cyclists. Children ride ponies here. Since 1998, even the maintenance of the forest itself has been carried out without heavy equipment: for this, horses of the Ardennes breed are used.
