Jardin des Tuileries

One of the largest and best known parks in Paris is the Tuileries (Jardin des Tuileries). When Catherine de Médicis had a palace built in 1563 on a site extending along the whole length of what is now Avenue du Général-Lemonnier, close to the Louvre, she named it the Tuileries after the tile-works which had previously occupied the site. In 1664 Colbert, Louis XIV's minister of finance, employed André Le Nôtre, later to be responsible for laying out the park at Versailles, to design the Tuileries Gardens. The palace itself was burned down during the Paris Commune in 1871 and was never rebuilt.

Coysevox's Baroque statues of winged horses guard the entrance on Place de la Concorde, which leads down, by terraces and ramps, to the large octagonal pond surrounded by busts and statues by the 18th century sculptors Coustou and Coysevox. On the steps leading up to the Jeu de Paume is a bust of Le Nôtre (copy). From the central avenue, the Grande Allée, there are fine views of the obelisk on Place de la Concorde, the Champs-Elysées and the Arc de Triomphe in one direction and of the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel and the glass pyramid of the Louvre in the other.

For those who would appreciate a rest after their sightseeing there are tree-shaded benches on either side of the central avenue, near the sculptures by Maillol and the bronze statue of Dreyfus by Tim; or they can take some refreshment in one of the open-air cafes or watch a game of boules.

In the northern half of the gardens there are also cafes, a puppet theater and donkey rides for children, who can also sail their boats in the large pond at the other end of the central avenue.