What is the Bois de Boulogne?
The lower lake of the Bois de Boulogne. You can go boating here. Photo selected by monsieurdefrance.com UlyssePixel via depositphotos.
An 8.5 km2 public park
First of all, it's huge. At 846 hectares, it's 2.5 times the size of New York's Central Park and 3 times the size of London's Hyde Park. Given to the City of Paris by Emperor Napoleon III in the 19th century, it is a Parisian public park. It was entirely redesigned at the time by the engineer Adophe ALPHAND in the spirit of an English-style park, withwinding paths, groves and highlights such as ponds, cascades and small buildings. Nature is domesticated, but also very free, as evidenced by the many Parisian ducks that thrive here. There are 2 large lakes: the upper lake (3 ha) and the lower lake (11 ha). There are also numerous ponds.
Boats on the lower lake. Photo chosen by monsieurdefrance.com UlyssePixel via depositphotos.
Tip: the Bois de Boulogne is open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. The website is here.
A place to practice
The Bois de Boulogne boasts 95 kms of paths for visitors, and cyclists enjoy 15 kms of dedicated lanes, including the 3.6 kms of uninterrupted loop around the Longchamp racecourse, not far from the crossfit area. You can also go horse-riding, with 28 kms of dedicated trails, and even go boating on the lower lake. Soccer and rugby pitches are also available on the Route de Sèvres side. The Parc des Princes is right next to the Bois. So is Roland Garros. For the record, this is the only campsite in Paris. You can sleep in cottages or trailers.
Visitors from all walks of life come to the Bois de Boulogne. Here, a peacock in the Parc de Bagatelle. Photo chosen by monsieurdefrance.com: encrier via depositphotos.
Tip: the Bois de Boulogne map for sports enthusiasts and others.
Bagatelle Park
The magnificent rose garden in Bagatelle Park / Photo chosen by monsieurdefrance.com: Moskwa via depositphotos.
It is said that the château was built in 64 days in 1777, following a bet by Louis XVI's brother, the Comte d'Artois (who became Charles X in 1824), with Marie-Antoinette. Today, it's the heart of a delightful park in the heart of the Bois de Boulogne, full of surprises. There are "follies", buildings such as the Chinese pagoda (dating from the 19th century), artificial grottoes, water mirrors and plenty of flowers, with 10,000 rosebushes of 1,200 different species. A breathtaking collection to see in April and May.
The Bagatelle pagoda. Photo chosen by monsieurdefrance.com: moskwa via depositphotos.
Tip: Bagatelle Park is free from November to April.
Racecourses: Longchamp and Auteuil
The Bois de Boulogne boasts 2 racecourses. The best-known is Longchamp (located on the site of the former Longchamp royal abbey). It covers 57 hectares. Inaugurated on April 27, 1857 with a race won by the horse "L'éclaireur", it is now home to the Grand Prix de Paris, long the world's best-endowed race. The famous Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is held here. It has had an eventful history: bombed in 1871 during the siege of Paris, it was used as a stockyard for oxen, as a hospital during the war in 1914 and even as an airfield at the end of the First World War. It was also the site of the July 14th parade for many years, until it was moved to the Chemps-Elysées after 1919. And it inspired many artists who painted the site or the races, such as Degas and Manet. For enthusiasts, the main track is 2,750 metres long and the straight is 1,000 metres long. Auteuil was born later, on November 1, 1873. It covers 33 hectares. Largely rebuilt in 1924 (it was bombed by the huge German cannon Grosse Bertha during the First World War), it is dedicated to show jumping and has a 2418-meter hurdle track.
Obstacle course at the Auteuil racecourse. Photo chosen by monsieurdefrance.com:slowmotiongli via depositphotos.
Nearby is the Serres d'Auteuil garden. Created in 1761, under the reign of Louis XV, today it's an elegant French-style park (with straight lines and clipped hedges), surrounded by 5 magnificent greenhouses dating from the late 19th century and housing collections of rare plants, but also ancient and rare trees and even a palmarium (with exotic trees) and one of France's largest aviaries. 6 new, more modern greenhouses have been added for 2019.
Tip: the website of France Galop, the association that manages racing at Longchamp, Auteuil, Saint Cloud, Deauville and Chantilly, with race timetables.
The Louis Vuitton Foundation
The astonishing façade of the Louis VUITTON Foundation. Photo chosen by monsieurdefrance.com: azgek1978 via depositphotos.
Since October 20, 2014, the Bois de Boulogne has boasted a new building: the Fondation Louis Vuitton. A remarkable, light, sail-like structure made entirely of glass. Exceeding 40 meters in height and with a surface area of over 11,000 M2, it hosts comptemporary art exhibitions.
Tip: the official website is here
It's very close to the Bois de Boulogne:
Roland Garros stadium
Built in 1928 to host the Davis Cup won by the French, the Stade Roland Garros is home to the French Tennis Internationals. Famous for its clay courts , it features 18 tennis courts. It can accommodate 10,000 spectators. Its name has nothing to do with tennis, as it is dedicated to the aviator Roland GARROS (1888-1918), a war hero killed in aerial combat during the First World War.
Address: 2 Av. Gordon Bennett, 75016 Paris / Metro line 10 station "porte d'Auteuil".
The Roland Garros stadium and its famous clay courts / Photo chosen by monsieurdefrance.com: natursports via depositphotos.
The Parc des Princes
This is the stadium of Paris Saint Germain, and for a long time it was the largest stadium in France before being dethroned by the Stade de France. This is the third version of the stadium we know today, dating back to 1972 and spanning the Paris ring road for part of the stands. With a capacity of 48,583, it is the 5th largest stadium in France. In addition to soccer (it is a Paris2024 site), it can host numerous sporting competitions and even concerts (Mickael Jackson, Prince, Genesis, Coldplay...).
Address: 24 Rue du Commandant Guilbaud, 75016 Paris / Metro Line 9 "Porte de Saint Cloud" station
The Parc des Princes in 2017 / Photo chosen by monsieurdefrance.com: Keitma via depositphotos.
How do I get to the Bois de Boulogne?
Official address:
Bois de Boulogne 75 016 Paris. You can also write "allée des fortifications" 75 016 PARIS
METRO
Line 1 Porte Maillot station (line 1
Line 2 station Porte Dauphine
Line 10 Porte d'Auteuil station (closest to Roland Garros).
RER :
Line C "Neuilly - porte Maillot" or "Avenue Foch" or "Avenue Henri Martin" stations
Barnacle geese in Bagatelle Park / Photo chosen by monsieurdefrance.com: Encrier via depositphotos.
The amazing history of the Bois de Boulogne
Longchamps Abbey stood on the site of the current racecourse before its destruction during the French Revolution in 1794. Image chosen by monsieurdefrance.com: engraving by Israel Sylvestre Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
A name from the seaside
What was once the Bois de Boulogne has long been a forest: the Rouvray forest (i.e. a place planted with oak trees). This forest is mentioned as early as the 8th century. It was the hunting ground of the kings of France, even though it belonged to the monks of the Abbey of Saint Denis, who eventually sold it to the kings of France. Longchamp Abbey was founded in 1256 by Saint Louis's sister, Isabelle de France (the abbey was destroyed in 1794, but a mill remains near the Longchamp racecourse). In 1308, the area changed its name to "Bois de Boulogne".
King Philippe IV le Bel imagined in 1837 by Jean Louis Bezard - art.rmngp.fr, Domaine public, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16504826
That year, King Philippe IV le Bel (1268-1314) decided to build a chapel dedicated to Notre Dame de Boulogne sur Mer. It was on his way to marry his daughter Isabelle to Edward II of England that the king discovered the shrine dedicated to the statue of the Virgin Mary, which was said to have appeared during a shipwreck. Impressed, the king wanted a copy of the statue to be installed in a chapel dedicated to her. The forest of Rouvray began to take the name of the religious site, which became a place of pilgrimage.
A very bad place.
Like all the forests of the Middle Ages, the Bois de Boulogne is dark and a good place for brigands. So it was with a faint heart that travelers crossed it on their way out of Paris towards the west and Normandy. During the 100 Years' War, the English nestled here, attacking and robbing Bertrand du GESCLIN, a great French military leader, in 1358. The Burgundians burned the forest a few years later. It wasn't until the reign of Louis XI, after the 100 Years' War, that the area became quiet. The forest remained dense until it was destroyed in the 19th century when the park we know today was developed. The forest was still dense in 1793, serving as a refuge for Parisians threatened by the French Revolution.
A place for innovation and architecture
Engraving of the Château de Boulogne dit Madrid by Jacques Ier Androuet du Cerceau, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The astonishing thing about the history of the Bois de Boulogne is the many innovations and original constructions that punctuate its history. In 1528, for example, King François 1er (1494-1547), to whom we owe Chambord, commissioned the construction of a huge château named "Château de Madrid". It is thought to have been called "Madrid" in reference to the king's forced stay in Spain when he was taken prisoner after a defeat. As courtiers were in the habit of saying "the king is in Madrid" to indicate that he was nowhere to be seen, the name is thought to have been given to the castle where the king sometimes retired. The castle was decorated with a wealth of earthenware, earning it the nickname "the earthenware castle". The interior was equally spectacular. The residence of several French kings, including Charles IX and Louis XIII, it was abandoned by Louis XIV, and the kings of France no longer came here. It was abandoned by Louis XVI in 1787, shortly before the French Revolution, and put up for sale. Most of it was demolished in 1792 and disappeared in the 19th century . It was not far from Château de Madrid that King Henri IV (1553-1610) decided to plant 10,000 mulberry trees in order to establish a silk industry in Paris. A silk stocking factory was set up here 50 years later, but failed to keep up with the shortage of workers.
La Muette
The first human flight was in this type of balloon in 1783. Photo chosen by monsieurdefrance.com: Claude-Louis Desrais, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
It was the famous and sulphurous Reine Margot, Marguerite de Valois (1553-1615), first wife of Henri IV, who built her first château at La Muette in the Bois de Boulogne (known as La Meute in those days). She offered it to Louis XIII, the son of her first husband, with whom she got on very well. Later, Regent Philippe d'Orléans (1674-1723) enlarged and altered the château, where young Louis XV, his ward, made frequent visits and learned to ride and hunt. The place became his favorite residence, and he bought it before having it razed and rebuilt in the spirit of the times. It was from the château's grounds that the first human flight took place. On November 21, 1783, a hot-air balloon took off from the park at 2pm. It carried the first 2 human beings to fly: Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent d'Arlandes. They landed safely a few minutes later. Abandoned by Louis XVI and badly damaged by the French Revolution, the château was rebuilt at the end of the 19th century. It is now the headquarters of the O.C.D.E.
When war strikes
Very close to Paris, the Bois de Boulogne has endured the ravages of war. Set ablazein the Middle Ages by the Burgundians at war with Charles V, King of France, it was also home to the Russian armies when Napoleon I was defeated in 1814. 40,000 Russian and English soldiers settled there and ravaged the area in just a few months, to the extent that it had to be reforested in 1815 (and 2 wide roads laid out to cross it). In 1870, it was bombarded by Prussian artillery, which moved in again in 1871. In 1914, it was bombarded by "Big Bertha", a large German cannon that regularly bombarded Paris. The Auteuil racecourse was badly damaged. It was then used to house animals waiting to be slaughtered and eaten by Parisians. It even became an airfield during the First World War.
The birth of one of the world's largest public parks
The Bois de Boulogne in 1867. Image chosen by Monsieurdefrance.com: Corbel26 via wikipedia.
Amputated by the creation of Thiers' enceinte in 1840 (a sort of protective wall for Paris), the Bois de Boulogne attracted the interest of France's rulers, who began to take care of it. In 1820, Louis XVIII had new oak trees planted to replace those damaged by the Russian and English armies. A few years later, in 1852, Emperor Napoleon III, who was literally rebuilding Paris, gave the Bois de Boulogne to the city of Paris, with the responsibility of developing and maintaining it . Thus was born the Bois de Boulogne of today. The first engineer was dismissed after miscalculations, and was replaced by engineer Adolphe ALPHAND (1817-1891) and landscape architect Jean Pierre BARRILLET DESCHAMPS. They were responsible for the 2 lakes, the islands and the current English-style park. Racecourses were built a few years later, in 1853 and 1873. The most recent construction was the Fondation Vuitton in 2014.
