The Jardins du Trocadéro are known to every tourist who has ever visited Paris as “that garden from which you can take pictures of the Eiffel Tower” (Or just watch it). Few people visit the museums scattered inside the Palais de Chaillot, the ugly, fascist-smelling building that has been there since the 1930s, and almost none of them know what buildings stood here before and what secrets they could tell you, if only they could talk.
Therefore, allow me, as is tradition, to lift the curtain of history for you over the Trocadero Gardens and the Chaillot Palace, and tell you about a monastery to which a famous royal mistress fled, a huge palace that was supposed to be built here in honor of the son of Napoleon I, another palace that was built 1 years before the Eiffel Tower (which is also no longer there), and of course provide you with all the tourist information you need for a visit to the place in 11.
The story of the Tacoredro Gardens and the Chaillot Palace
Forget the hustle and bustle, forget the tourists and let's go back about 500 years to a time when the area was surrounded only by flowering fields quietly immersed in tranquility.
The one who noticed the pastoral nature of the place was none other than Catherine de Medici, Queen of France, who decided to build herself a small palace on the hill of Chaillot, which would serve as a place where she could relax a little on her way fromLouvre Palace Towards the Royal Palace in Saint Germain En Laye.
In 1654, Henrietta Maria (1609-1669), daughter of King Henry IV (reigned 4-1589) and widow of King Charles I of England (reigned 1610-1), converted the small palace into a convent. The convent, dedicated to the Order of the Visitation (Ordre de la Visitation), was intended for noble daughters whose families were unable to afford a sufficient dowry, so they chose the cheaper solution of becoming nuns.
The Royal Mistress's Refuge
The famous resident of the convent entered here of her own free will. Her name was Louise de La Vallière (1644-1710) and she was the first great mistress of Louis XIV.
What began as a great love story for a young king turned into a tragedy for Louisa, as the king began to turn his attention to Madame de Montespan (Madame de Montespan 1640-1707), and the evil tongues at the king's court began to gossip.
Madame de LaBlière's solution was to leave the king's court and travel to the monastery she loved. When the king heard this, he followed her, arrived at the monastery, got down on his knees and begged her to return to him. After quite a few pleas, LaBlière agreed to return to the king's court, but unfortunately this event was not enough to win back the king's exclusive love for her.
For some time the king continued to maneuver between the two mistresses, but in the end the beautiful and “peppery” Madame de Montespan defeated the pious Louise de La Belleur in the war for the heart of Louis XIV. Louise left the royal court again, this time for the Carmelite convent on the Rue Saint Jacques in5st arrondissement of ParisThis time no one pursued her and she ended her life there in 1710 as Sister Luisa de Misericordia.
If you thought that the monastery was only concerned with prayers and the worship of God, you were wrong. In 1800, a 300-meter-long canal was discovered there, which passed under the customs wall of ParisIt turned out that while some of the nuns were praying, other nuns were smuggling alcohol into Paris, using this tunnel.
The palace of the Roman king who never rose
The monastery of Shaio was destroyed, like many other monasteries, during French Revolution And in 1813, Napoleon I decided to turn the place into his “government headquarters.”
He called his favorite architect, Fontaine (Pierre-François-Léonard Fontaine 1762-1853), and ordered him to build a government complex with a palace in the center, dedicated to his son, who received the title of “King of Rome,” and on either side of it would be buildings housing the various government offices.
Napoleon's goal was essentially to replace the Palace of Versailles , which during the monarchy was the “seat of government” of France, and the emperor was inspired no less than by the Kremlin Palace in Moscow. For him, that Moscow palace was a kind of open wound, after the defeat that Napoleon suffered in Russia a year earlier, so it is not surprising that he ordered his architect to create for him a building that would be a hundred times larger and more impressive than the Kremlin.
Unfortunately, none of these plans came to fruition.
Trocadero Square was born.
A year after Napoleon I was presented with the plans for the palace of the King of Rome, the emperor was forced to abdicate his throne and France The Bourbons are back. Louis XVIII (reigned 18-1814, with a 1824-day break in 100) was busy trying to erase the Napoleonic legacy, so it is not surprising that he shelved the idea of a “capital of government” conceived by the emperor.
But the king was not satisfied with this, but decided to taunt the emperor and call the place where the palace was to be built, Trocadero. Why did this name so insult the emperor's memory? Because it was named after a battle in Spain won by the Duke of Angoulême (Louis Antoine, Duc d'Angoulême 1775-1844), when he was sent to restore King Ferdinand VII (reigned 7-1813).
Napoleon himself was unable to fully take control of Spain and his army bled there for years, until he was driven out by Wellington. In contrast, the Duke of Angoulême succeeded where Napoleon failed, and within about six months managed to conquer all of Spain and restore the king to power.
It is not surprising that many, including the famous poet François-René de Chateaubriand, saw the naming of the square, where the Emperor wanted to build a palace for himself and his son, as a kind of “finger in the eye” of His Majesty the Emperor. On the other hand, it is not at all certain that Napoleon himself really cared, since by the time the square was named after the Battle of Trocadero, he had already been dead for about two years.
The palace of Shao I is built
When the monarchy was finally abolished in 1848, and after the short-lived Second Republic, Emperor Napoleon III came to power (reigned 3-1853). Like his revered uncle, Napoleon III also wanted to erect a monumental structure here, except this time it was a statue called “Intelligent France” (La France intelligente) that would overlook six buildings housing six different government ministries.
None of this came to fruition.
However, 8 years after the fall of Napoleon, something was finally built on Trocadero Square, and all thanks to the Universal Exhibition of 1878. The young Third Republic, which needed legitimacy as much as air to breathe, decided that the current exhibition would be the largest ever created, and as part of it, it demanded from the famous architect Gabriel Davioud (1824-1881) a neo-Mauritian-style palace with a facade of about 400 meters. This is the result:
From the moment the building opened to the public, a rare consensus emerged among Parisians, who all claimed that the building was particularly ugly (such a consensus would only emerge again when the Center Pompidou (About a century later.) Even Proust, in his book “In Search of Lost Time,” complained about how ugly this building was.
Was it really that ugly or did the Parisians go overboard? We'll leave it to you to decide. What is certain (at least in my opinion) is that the building that came after it was even uglier.
Trocadero Palace Version 2.0 – Architecture with a Fascist Flavor
In 1935, after considerable public pressure, the Chaillot Palace was demolished and the current palace was built in its place in 1937. Like the previous Chaillot Palace, the current one was also built in honor of a world exhibition (which will be remembered as the last great exhibition) and is the result of the work of three architects:
- Louis-Hippolyte Boileau (1878-1948)
- Jacques Carlu (1890-1976)
- Léon Azéma (1888-1978)
In 1940, when Paris was occupied by the Nazis, Hitler visited Paris, and his famous photo with Albert Schaefer was taken on the balcony of the Chaillot Palace.
Hitler must have agreed with all those who thought it was the ultimate fascist architecture, because he decided to create a copy of the palace in his Berlin home. Fortunately for the Germans, the plan did not come to fruition. The French were not so lucky and are stuck with this ugly structure to this day.
Today, in the west wing of the palace you will find the Museum of Man (Musée de l'Homme), an anthropological museum, which was relatively recently renovated and reopened in 2015. Also in the same wing you will find the Maritime Museum (Musée national de la Marine), where you will find models of various ships, some from the era of Louis XV.
But in my opinion, the really interesting museums are in the east wing, where there is a large theater called the “Grand Théâtre national de Chaillot”, created by the Niermans brothers (Jean and Édouard Niermans). It is also recommended to visit the architecture museum (La Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine), which has 9,000 mXNUMX of temporary and permanent exhibitions, including an exhibition presenting architecture French From 1850 to the present day.
Outside the palace you will find the Trocadero Gardens themselves. The centerpiece of the gardens is the famous Warsaw Fountains, which include 20 water cannons that can spray water 50 meters away, and are a spectacular water show, especially on summer evenings, when they are accompanied by stunning lighting. Some of the fountains reach a height of 12 meters of water.
The Trocadero Gardens also feature a number of particularly interesting sculptures, including Pierre Travers’ L’homme and Daniel-Joseph Bacqué’s La Femme. These are impressive sculptures, and from the right angle you can photograph them with the Eiffel Tower in the background. You can also enjoy beautiful bronze sculptures in the gardens – Paul Jouve’s “Bull and Deer” and Georges Guyot’s “Horses and Dog”, as well as a 6-meter-high bronze statue of the god Apollo.
Trocadero Gardens and Chaillot Palace – Useful Information
The Trocadéro Gardens can be reached via the Trocadéro metro station. Admission to the Trocadéro Gardens is free and they are open 24/7, except Some special days during the year (Usually Christian holidays like Easter and Christmas, as well as certain memorial days.)
The Paris Aquarium
Aquarium de Paris is located in the Trocadero Gardens, opposite the Eiffel Tower, and is a great attraction to combine with a visit to the gardens. The aquarium is home to around 7,500 different underwater creatures, including 50 sharks – all originally from the French seas and the country’s various territories. At the aquarium you can see one of the largest sharks in captivity, in a tank with 3 million liters of water, a koi fish petting pool, a jellyfish collection with 2,500 individuals in 15 tanks and a host of interactive activities and shows every day. A great experience for marine nature lovers – children and adults alike!
To book tickets to the aquarium, click here..
Museums in Trocadero Gardens
Museum of Man (Musée de l'Homme) – A museum that presents the evolution of man and different cultures. The museum is open every day except Tuesdays, between 11:00 and 19:00. Entrance to the museum is allowed until 17:15. In addition, the museum is closed on January 1, May 1, July 14 and December 25. Ticket price is 10-13 euros. To purchase tickets to the museum.
National Maritime Museum (Musée national de la Marine) – The Maritime Museum reopens in November 2023, after renovations, and showcases 250 years of French maritime history, combining art and history, science and technology, adventure and tradition. The museum tour is designed to simulate a sea voyage, with stops such as ship models, sea navigation, maritime art, sunken ships and storms, and more.
The museum is open every day, except Tuesday, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. To purchase tickets
Museum of French Architecture (La Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine) – The museum is open every day except Tuesday, from 11:00 AM to 19:00 PM. On Thursdays, you can visit the museum until 21:00 PM. The museum is closed on January 1, May 1, and December 25. A ticket to the museum costs 6-9 euros. to purchase tickets.
Events at Trocadero Gardens
Every year, on July 14th, that is Bastille Day, huge celebrations take place in Paris. Among other things, you can enjoy a spectacular fireworks display on this day. The large crowd gathers under the Eiffel Tower, and the Trocadero Gardens are a favorite viewing point across the river. The fireworks display is free, of course.
Various festivals and events, such as THE VILLAGE INTERNATIONAL DE LA GASTRONOMIE and Hanami Paris (a celebration for lovers of Japanese culture), are held regularly in the garden area.
Interesting and really useful articles
Thank you very much 🙂
Interesting and useful information
Thank you very much 🙂