Jardin des Halles

The Garden of Les Halles (Jardin Les Halles) was built in 1988 in the place of the former central market of Paris, near the 13th century cathedral of St. Eustache. Today, it is a beautiful park full of sculptures, fountains and alleyways designed by Louis Arretche and François-Xavier Lalanne. It is known for "Ecoute" (Listen), a gigantic sandstone sculpture of a head resting on a hand, which was placed in front of the St. Eustache cathedral in Place René Cassin in 1986. The author of the sculpture, which weighs approximately seventy tons, is Henri de Miller. The artist is also credited with creating another sculpture located in the same square called "Cadran" (Sundial), a unique sundial directing the rays of sun through slits located 2,5 metres above the ground onto the sculpture which sends them to a dial on a wall, thus marking the time. Inside the garden you can also find a system of waterfalls and a tropical greenhouse topped with a pyramid-shaped glass roof. The entrance to the greenhouse is forbidden and it can only be admired from the outside. The building occupies an area of 500 square metres and houses some 30 plant species.

Part of the Les Halles garden, called the Jardin des Enfants des Halles (the Children's Garden), is specially designated for children. The playground is divided into 6 sections representing 6 different worlds: a tropical forest world, an ancient world, a world of geometry and sounds, a soft world, a volcanic world and an island world. The garden provides different attractions for children such as lots of slides, a climbing wall, a tunnel and a maze. The Garden of Les Halles is also a place where many people come to play pétanque (boules), which is a national game of France.