Jardin du Luxembourg

The Médicis aqueduct was built between 1613 and 1624 to supply the garden’s ponds, bringing water from Rungis, eleven kilometres away. In the 18th century, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Denis Diderot walked here. Head gardener Julien-Alexandre Hardy greatly expanded the rose collection during his tenure from 1817 to 1859. In Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, Marius and Cosette first meet in the gardens. Henry James makes them the setting for Lambert Strether’s revelation about his identity in The Ambassadors. The gardens also appear on the cover of Tame Impala’s 2012 album Lonerism.

1. 1612Marie de’ Medici began the garden for her new residence. Two thousand elms were planted, and Tommaso Francini planned terraces and parterres around the château.
2. 1635André Le Nôtre redesigned the flower beds.
3. 1778The western third of the garden was sold to help pay for repairs to the palace.
4. French RevolutionFormer Carthusian land brought the garden to a historical extent of forty hectares. Jean-François Chalgrin later restored it and rebuilt the Medici Fountain.
5. 1864–1866The Medici Fountain was moved to its present site in 1864 and fitted with statues in 1866.