Bois de Vincennes

In the heart of the Bois de Vincennes, appear four lakes created or redeveloped during the Second Empire.

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Lake Gravelle was built under the direction of Adolphe Alphand, during the development of the Bois de Vincennes in the 1860s.

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The sector did not originally include any hydraulic network, the lake was dug to ensure the irrigation of other bodies of water and made it possible to push back the waters of the Marne and therefore to regulate floods.

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Lake Daumesnil was created in 1864, under the supervision of Adolphe Alphand.

It was designed as a space for relaxation and recreation, with islands, promenades, and boats for visitors to rent.

Lake Daumesnil is shaped like a horseshoe, with two islands in the center.

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Lake Saint-Mandé was created in 1866.

It was used to supply water to Lake Daumesnil.

Banks and rest areas have been created around the lake.

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Lac des Minimes already existed before the Second Empire, but it was redeveloped at that time.

Bridges, walkways, and green spaces have been added around the lake.

It was mainly used for fishing and walks.

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These four lakes contributed to the beauty and appeal of the Bois de Vincennes during the Second Empire, providing Parisians with places for relaxation and leisure in the heart of the city.

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The Bois de Vincennes offers a magnificent castle built under Philippe VI then Charles V and embellished under Louis XIV.

Originally, this castle had eight enclosure towers.

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Napoleon I transformed the castle into an arsenal in 1808 and razed the eight enclosure towers apart from the so-called village tower.

 

Arboretum de Breuil

In 1867, the Breuil Arboretum, a horticultural educational establishment in the city of Paris, was created under the leadership of Prefect Haussmann.

Originally located near Porte Daumesnil, it was transferred in 1936 to the south-east of Bois de Vincennes and named “Ecole Du Breuil”, in homage to its first director.

This arboretum covers an area of ​​13 hectares and presents a collection of 1200 trees.

Open to all, it is also a place of learning for students of the Du Breuil horticulture school and agents of the city of Paris.

 

Paris Zoological Park

The Bois de Vincennes offers its visitors the Paris Zoological Park

This 14-hectare park (formerly “Vincennes Zoo”) was created in 1934.

After two and a half works, the new park was inaugurated in April 2014.

The park is now organized into 5 sectors or “biozones” – Patagonia, Sahel/Sudan, Europe, Guyana, Madagascar – which each exhibit various plant landscapes associated with the 180 species of animals presented.

The new architectural and landscaping designs followed the principle of immersing visitors and animals in environments evoking the original ecosystems and giving an essential role to plants.

More than 170,000 plants and 2,200 trees, representing 870 species, were planted, representing a 40% increase in the planted area.

One of the challenges to be overcome was the evocation of tropical landscapes with hardy plant species in the Parisian climate.

In addition, a large tropical greenhouse of 4000 m² and 16 m high was built to house part of the Guyanese and Malagasy sectors.

It was planted with 3800 plants including some sub-adult trees.

 

Parc Floral

The Floral Park was inaugurated in April 1969.

It took 15 months (from September 1967 to April 1969) to develop it.

With its 31 hectares, it is the largest green space created in Paris since the end of the Second Empire.

It is still the largest park in Paris today.

Its landscape architect was Daniel Collin, a horticultural engineer who graduated in 1934 from the National School of Horticulture in Versailles.

He had 28 pavilions created to host horticultural exhibitions from different countries.

These 28 pavilions still exist.

We owe the influence of the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games to the Japanese inspiration still perceptible in the architecture of the roofs, pavilions and covered walkways.

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In 1998, the Floral Park was united with the arboretum of the Breuil school, the Bagatelle park and the Auteuil greenhouse garden.

From this union was born the “Paris Botanical Garden” where cultural and educational functions are highlighted.

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The zoological park and the floral park, both more recently created, today constitute the most visited places in the Bois de Vincennes.