Imagine how close you came to missing this superb garden at the Tuileries! Yes, in 1664, Jean-Baptiste Colbert and Louis XIV ordered that the garden be completely redesigned by André Le Nôtre, but fearing that the public would damage the garden, they decided to restrict access to the royal family only. It was Charles Perrault who convinced Colbert of the trust that could be placed in Parisians, and of the need to make such a garden accessible to all.
Why does his opinion count so much, given that he is known as a French man of letters, famous for his Contes de ma mère l'Oye ? Quite simply because he was also Controller General of the King's Superintendence of Buildings! This skilled storyteller made it possible for ordinary people, who were very respectful at the time, to enjoy this masterpiece of landscape art.
"I'm convinced that the gardens of kings are only so large and spacious that all children can walk in them," he says at the time. From then on, the garden became accessible to all, even if the entrances were guarded, with chairs available for strollers to rest on. Butlackeys, people in rags and soldiers were still forbidden entry, on pain of imprisonment, and only well-dressed people were allowed in!
In 1908, Gabriel Pech's Monument du conteur Charles Perrault, depicting a bust of Perrault surrounded by a round of children, was installed, as if to pay tribute and thank him for the opportunity he offered to generations of Parisians and tourists alike. Even if we imagine that, without him, the garden would one day have become public!
Location
Tuileries Gardens
Jardin des Tuileries
75001 Paris 1
