Saint Cloud Park
Château Saint-Cloud, Castle Saint-Cloud, Parc de Saint-Cloud, Le château de Saint-Cloud
France, Paris
Parc Saint-Cloud is one of the most popular French parks. Located in the Hauts-de-Seine department to the west of Paris, in close proximity to the capital, in the town of Saint-Cloud.
Previously, the park housed the chateau (palace-castle) Saint-Cloud, built in the 16th century and originally owned by the Gondi family of Florentine bankers. During the religious wars, on August 1, 1589, Henry III, who settled here for the siege of Paris, was killed by the monk Jacques Clement.
In 1658-1701, the castle belonged to the brother of Louis XIV, Philippe d'Orleans. Purchased by Louis XVI for his wife Marie Antoinette in 1784; under her, the castle was heavily rebuilt. The coup d'état took place in the greenhouse of the park on 18 Brumaire, VIII of the Republic (1799).
It was in Saint-Cloud that Napoleon was proclaimed emperor in 1804.
During the war with Prussia, the headquarters of the German troops was located on the territory of the castle; bombarded by French artillery, the castle burned down (1870); later (in 1892) the ruins were dismantled.
Parc Saint-Cloud, whose area has 460 hectares, is a favorite vacation spot for Parisians and residents of Ile-de-France. The park hosts a variety of cultural events, including a music festival and vintage car shows. A storm in 1999 severely damaged the trees.
The park, which is characterized by a large elevation change, consists of a French-style garden designed by André Le Nôtre; English park (Trocadero park, begun under Louis XVIII), Marie Antoinette's rose garden, etc. There are about ten fountains in the park. At the top of the park there is a balustrade from which a beautiful view of Paris opens up.
On the territory of the park there is a small Museum of the Castle of Saint-Cloud, as well as the Pasteur Institute.
The park is mentioned in a number of works of French literature. From Abbé Prevost's The Story of a Greek Woman (1740), whose characters go to Saint-Cloud for a picnic, the reader learns that in the 18th century the gardens had a reputation for being "frivolous." A poetic description of the park is given in the fourth chapter of Les Miserables by Victor Hugo:
The flowers of Saint-Cloud were fragrant, the breath of the Seine stirred the leaves of the trees, the branches swayed in a light breeze, the bees ruthlessly plundered the jasmine bushes, a whole gang of butterflies flew into the yarrow, clover and wild oats; the reserve park of the French king was taken over by a noisy crowd of dissolute vagabonds - they were birds.
The park has attracted the attention of many famous artists. At various times he was portrayed by J.-O. Fragonard, R. Dufy, E. Hopper.
A fragment of the park is captured in the painting by Henri Rousseau "Alley in the Park of Saint-Cloud" (1908).
Sinead O'Connor's music video for "Nothing Compares 2 U" was filmed in Saint Cloud Park.
The official birth date of cycling is May 31, 1868, when a 2 km race was organized in the alleys of the Parc Saint-Cloud. One hundred and forty years later, on June 15, 2008, former US President George W. Bush, on his farewell tour of Europe, rode his own bicycle through the park of Saint-Cloud.
The park can be reached by metro (line 9, station "Pont de Sèvres", or line 10, station "Boulogne - Pont de Saint-Cloud"). From the metro on foot (on the bridge over the Seine) or by bus.
Entrance to the park is free for pedestrians, motorists are charged.
Opening hours vary depending on the time of year.
