Tuileries Garden in Paris France

Source picture: Wikipedia

One of the public parks where Parisians like to celebrate, come together or
just relax, certainly is the Tuileries Garden. This wonderful park is located
near the Tuileries Palace (near the Louvre) in the first arrondissement Paris,
France.

own picture of the Tuileries Garden, Paris taken in 2017 on a rainy Sunday Morning

Some royal history

In July 1559, after the death of King Henry II of France, his widow,
Queen Catherine de' Medici decided to move to the Louvre Palace along with
her son, King François II. She wanted a new palace for herself separated from
the Louvre with a garden modeled after the gardens of her native Florence.

Catherine de' Medici

Source picture: Wikipedia

Some of the lands were already acquired by King François I but Catherine
acquired more land and she ordered to build a palace and a garden on the site.

Catherine commissioned a landscape architect who came from Florence to
build an Italian Renaissance garden, with fountains, a labyrinth and much more.

The Tuileries was the largest and most beautiful garden in Paris at that time.
Catherine used it for lavish royal festivities as honoring the ambassadors from
Queen Elizabeth I of England and the marriage of her daughter, Marguerite de
Valois and Henry IV.

In 1610, King Louis XIII became the new owner of the Tuileries Garden at the
age of nine. It became his playground, he used it for hunting and he kept animals
there.

When the king and the court were absent from Paris, the gardens were turned into
a pleasure spot for the nobility.

Under King Louis XIV the Tuileries Palace was finally finished. It became a
royal residence.

In 1664 the garden was transformed into a formal French garden.

In 1667 the garden opened for public. It was the first royal garden to be open to
the public.

During the French revolution in 1789, Louis XVI was brought against his will
to the Tuileries Palace. The garden was closed to the public in the morning.
Queen Marie-Antoinette and the Dauphin were given a part of the garden for
her private use.

Queen Marie-Antoinette of France

Source picture: Wikipedia

After the King's removal, the Tuileries became the National Garden of the
New French Republic.

Napoleon Bonaparte moved to the Tuileries Palace on 19 February 1880.
He gave the order to create a new street: rue de Rivoli. He used the
Tuileries garden for military parade and to celebrate special events as his
marriage to Archduchess Marie-Louise of Austria.

Tuileries Garden Paris France - own picture taken in 2017

In 1830 when Louis-Philippe became the new King of France a section
of the Garden became private.

In 1852, Louis Napoleon became the new owner of the garden. He enlarged
the private section but when the emperor was not in Paris, the garden and the
private section were open to public.

After the defeat of Louis Napoleon in 1870 the Tuileries Palace was destroyed
by war and by fire. The ground of the palace became a part of the garden.


A visit

The Tuileries garden in Paris, France is a beautiful public garden with a free
entrance. It really is a nice place to walk, full of history.