Rendez-vous aux jardins is a key event for nature and horticulture enthusiasts! On June 1 and 2, 2024, you can discover the special features of public and private gardens in Paris and the Île-de-France region, which open their doors to the public, thanks to a host of fun activities. With guided tours, workshops, lectures and even tastings, there's something for everyone! Come on, let's take on the Jardins Remarquables, this time in the Yvelines?
And when it comes to gardens, the Musée d'Archéologie Nationale de Saint-Germain-en-Laye is well endowed: at the end of the 16th century, Henri IV magnified the park by building six terraces leading down to the Seine, arcaded galleries and sumptuous grottoes. Under the reign of Louis XIII, the gardens lost their lustre, and it was Louis XIV who entrusted Le Nôtre with the task of creating new ones. He gave the site its letters of nobility with the creation of the famous parterres à broderies.
The English landscape garden, created in 1845 by Loaisel de Tréogate, engineer to the Crown estate, was planted on a plot of forest land and features remarkable trees, some of which are several hundred years old. These include giant redwoods, cedars of Lebanon, oaks and purple beeches.
A gardener from the Domaine National will tell you all about his job and his passion, as you stroll through the gardens, talking and observing.
A bucolic tour that sheds a different light on the history and architecture of the château. Discover the history of the national estate on a stroll through the gardens.
Discover the history of the gardens of the royal château, from its foundation in the Middle Ages to the 20th century. Accompanied by a guide/lecturer, this tour allows you to discover the characteristics and evolution of the different gardens that once existed around the château, and which now make up the Domaine national de Saint-Germain-en-Laye. An activity booklet accompanies visitors, enabling them to carry out a number of activities along the way: observation of the different states of the gardens based on old plans, drawings of flowerbeds, etc.
Making Nature heard and simulating its sound qualities is an important aspect of garden design. This dimension became more pronounced during the Renaissance, when the musicality of water, wind and animal song was often emphasized or complemented by a variety of constructions: gushing fountains, aviaries of songbirds, hydraulic organs, pavilions, exedras and other spaces used for concerts. At the beginning of the 17th century, this musical dimension was further amplified in France by the vogue for theater, "divertissements" and ballets: veritable sound theaters, the great gardens were also scenographic spaces where the musicality of the place was amplified by the architecture. We'll be looking at all these aspects under the reigns of Henri IV and Louis XIII, based on the royal gardens of Fontainebleau and Saint-Germain-en-Laye, with particular emphasis on the Château Neuf, its many fountains and its grottoes of automata.
Cultivated at least since the Bronze Age (2300-800 BC), the plantations presented during this visit to the estate will offer a range of colors, smells, tastes and textures that will awaken your senses.
Dates and Opening Time
From June 1st, 2024 to June 2nd, 2024
Location
National Archaeology Museum
Domaine National de Saint-Germain-en-Laye
78100 Saint Germain en Laye
Prices
Free
Official website
rendezvousauxjardins.culture.gouv.fr
