Tuileries Gardens, Paris

Panorama de Paris. – Les Tuileries
Postmarked 1901

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Paris: postcards from 1900 (more pictures)

Just across the river from the Orsay Museum, the magnificent Tuileries Gardens are a historical place which afford a haven of greenery in the heart of Paris. They were designed by André Le Nôtre discovered by Fouquet, Louis XIV’s minister of finance, for whom he created the splendid French gardens for his château of Vaux le Vicomte. Le Nôtre, commissioned by Louis XIV, is best known for having landscaped the grounds of Versailles Palace. He gave Paris a royal garden which became a meeting-place for the aristocracy and upper classes. In the 17th century it was often the scene of lavish revelry, and remains today one of the favourite places for Parisians to walk. Located within 5 minutes walk from the Hôtel le Bellechasse via the Solferino foot bridge, the Tuileries offer a typical insight of the unique atmosphere of Paris. The gardens have witnessed many troubled times of the French history and contain many statues, fountains and remarkable trees.
Hotel Le Bellechasse

Paris. – Jardin des Tuileries
Postmarked 1901

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The Tuileries Garden is a public garden located between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. Created by Catherine de’ Medici as the garden of the Tuileries Palace in 1564, it was eventually opened to the public in 1667 and became a public park after the French Revolution. . . . In 1870, Napoleon III was defeated and captured by the Prussians, and Paris was the scene of the uprising of the Paris Commune. A red flag flew over the Palace, and it could be visited for fifty centimes. When the army arrived and fought to recapture the city, the Communards deliberately burned the Tuileries Palace, and tried to burn the Louvre as well. The ruins, burned out inside but with walls largely intact, were torn down in 1883. The empty site of the palace, between the two pavilions of the Louvre, became part of the garden. Dozens of statues were added to the garden. It also served as the setting for large civic events such as the banquet given during the 1900 Paris Universal Exposition on 22 September 1900, in honour of the twenty-two thousand mayors of France, served under large tents. The Tuilieries garden was filled with entertainments for the public; acrobats, puppet theatres, lemonade stands, small boats on the lakes, donkey rides, and stands selling toys. It was a meeting for major commercial events, such as the first Paris automobile salon in 1898. At the 1900 Summer Olympics, the Gardens hosted the fencing events.
Wikipedia.