Parc des Buttes Chaumont

The Parc des Buttes Chaumont is a public park located on a rocky hill, in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, at the Rue Botzaris. The name of the park is a combination of two words: "buttes", which translates as "hills", and "chaumont", which is believed to be a contraction of the words "chauve" (bald) and "mont" (mount). With over five kilometers of trials and paths, it is the third largest park in Paris.

One of the main attractions of the park is a temple called the Belvedere of Sybil which is situated on top of an 30-metre high rocky island in the middle of a lake. This Corinthian-style monument, built in the park in 1869, was modeled on the ancient Roman Temple of Vesta in Tivoli. In the park you can also find a number of cliffs and bridges, including a 63-metre long suspension bridge hanging over the lake, through which one can access the island, and a 22-metre high bridge known as the "suicide bridge", which gives access to the belvedere from the southern part of the park. Furthermore, a grotto with a 20-metre high waterfall, as well as a couple of English and Chinese gardens can be found here. 

The park is home to a wide variety of flora, including indigenous and exotic trees (often of Asian origin) such as cedars of Lebanon, Himalayan cedars, Ginko Biloba, Byzantine hazelnuts, Siberian elms and European hollies. The park also houses several restaurants and a number of attractions for children, including two Guignol theatres and two Waffle Stands. The main entrance to the park is located at Place Armand-Carrel. 

The park was built on the site of the former gypsum and limestone quarry. The construction, which began in 1863 and lasted for 4 years, was commissioned by Napoleon III and engineered by Jean-Charles Alphand, Jean-Pierre Barillet-Deschamps and Gabriel Davioud. The park was inaugurated as part of the festivities of the Universal Exhibition in 1867.