Paris - Luxembourg Gardens

(Local Name: Jardin du Luxembourg) Children and students from the nearby Quartier Latin are the most regular visitors to the Luxembourg Gardens, Paris's best known park after the Tuileries. They were laid out in the 17th century when the Palais du Luxembourg was built, and were given their present form in the 19th century by the architect J.-F. Chalgrin (1739-1811).

The large octagonal pond with a fountain is flanked by two terraces. This part of the park is laid out in the French classical style, symmetrically, with straight lines, while the outer parts with their winding paths and quiet corners between irregularly grouped clumps of trees are in the less formal English style. Along the terraces and paths are statues of prominent men and women from the worlds of art and politics. A popular meeting-point is the picturesque Fontaine de Médicis, hidden under trees opposite the east front of the palace. The fountain basin, with a Renaissance monument on the pediment of which are the river gods of the Rhône and the Seine, dates from around 1620 and is a reminder of the Luxembourg's former owner Marie de Médicis. The large pond is usually surrounded by children sailing their boats (and boats can be hired at a kiosk by the pond), while younger children enjoy the Grand Guignol (the equivalent of a Punch and Judy show) in the southwest of the park near the tennis courts.

Until a few years ago elderly women used to patrol the park collecting charges for the use of seats; nowadays, however, all the seats and benches are free of charge. At dusk the park- keeper's whistle is the signal that the gates are about to be closed for the night.