Park Monceau

Park Monceau (Parc Monceau), located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, at the intersection of Boulevard de Courcelles, Rue de Prony and Rue Georges Berger, is one of the most beautiful parks in Paris and a perfect place for anyone who wants to escape the hustle and bustle of the city life. It covers an area of 8.2 hectares and contains numerous flower gardens with a rich variety of flora and an array of statues.

In 1769, Phillippe d'Orléans, Duke of Chartres, commissioned Louis Carrogis Carmontelle to design the gardens of the park in an informal English style in the centre of Paris. By 1778, the garden was already 12 hectares in size and was known by the name of the Folie de Chartres. Five years later, after the death of the Duke in the French Revolution, the gardens became the pubic property and in the same year the royal rotunda at the north entrance to the park was built by Claude Nicolas Ledoux. In 1797 the park was the site where André-Jacques Garnerin became the first man in history to make a silk parachute jump from a Montgolfier hot air balloon, landing safely in the park. In 1871, the formation of the Paris Commune in France led to the execution of the Communards during the so-called Semaine Sanglante ("Bloody Week"), many of which were killed inside the Park Monceau. 

In the years 1876-1878, Claude Monet painted five paintings of the park. Park Monceau was also one of the favourite places of visit of the French composer Hector Berlioz. 

The park has characteristic English style - informal layout, curved alleyways and statues scattered randomly around the park, which contrast strikingly with the French-style garden. The garden also contains several follies or miniatures of various structures found in different countries in the world, such as a Dutch windmill, an Egyptian pyramid, a Chinese fort, and Corinthian pillars. The statues found in the garden include, among others, such famous personages like Frédéric Chopin, Guy de Maupassant, Charles Gounod and Ambroise Thomas.

Today, the park with its many children playgrounds as well as a free Wi-Fi area is a popular resting place for the local residents and their families. The main entrance to the park is on Boulevard de Courcelles.