PAR-46 • parks1778 - 1861 (Haussmann)

Parc Monceau

18th-century garden of architectural follies with Corinthian colonnade and Egyptian pyramid

48.879600°N, 2.308900°E•city Axis

Documented Historiographical History

Commissioned in 1778 by Louis Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Chartres, and designed by painter-writer Louis Carrogis Carmontelle as a 'land of illusions' featuring eclectic architectural follies from around the world.

Architectural & Symbolic Reading

An esoteric garden of cosmopolitan enlightenment, leading the initiate through Roman antiquity, Egyptian mysteries, and medieval romance.

Historical Legends & Mysteries

The Duke of Chartres was the Grand Master of the Grand Orient de France Freemason lodge, and the garden's layout was believed to serve as an outdoor Masonic initiation trail.

Insider Curiosities & Secret Facts

•In 1797, André-Jacques Garnerin made the world's first successful human parachute jump here, leaping from a hydrogen balloon at 1,000 meters elevation.

•The park features a picturesque curved Corinthian colonnade (La Naumachie) framing an oval pond where mock naval battles were staged.

•Other enchanting follies scattered among the trees include a stone Egyptian pyramid, a Renaissance arch, and statues of Chopin, Maupassant, and Musset.

Related Tags:#Parc Monceau#Colonnade#Carmontelle#Follies#Egyptian Pyramid

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