As I have been saying, Fontainebleau has a nice special meaning to our family. We never lived there but it was the first castle visited in France ever by us. This as consequence that my dear late wife Martine was from the region and she took me there first proud of her Fontainebleau. We have come back several times, I am friend of the castle since 2004, and plenty of posts in my blog on it. However, let me tell you about a spot briefly mentioned but never a post of its own, which it deserves , me think. Therefore, here is my take on the Carrousel on Place Napoléon Bonaparte of Fontainebleau. Hope you enjoy it as I.
Thre retro carrousel or merry-go-round for children and adults. A fun place to be and even ride while on the back of the wonderful Château de Fontainebleau ! It has more than forty different subjects from wooden horses of all sizes, tigers, pigs, a 1900 clunker, an old motorcycle… The carrousel occupies Place Napoléon Bonaparte, in the heart of the city of Fontainebleau; close to the garden of Diane.Il is there throughout the year. It dates from the 1900s. It is made up of several types of wooden horses of all sizes, a small nod to the fact that Fontainebleau is renowned as being the capital of the horse…A beautiful sight and nice ride indeed. The carrousel at the Place Napoléon-Bonaparte which is a pedestrian square in Fontainebleau. The square is bordered by rue Denecourt and rue de France and leads to passage Ronsin . It is located in front of Diane’s garden of the Château de Fontainebleau. The square was renamed Place Napoléon-Bonaparte on April 23, 1969. An underground car park was built in 1989.
A bit of history of the place now tell us that in order to house the chancellors of the kingdom, a Hostel des Chanceliers de France was built which was sold to François I. It was modified in 1679. It then welcomed princes and ambassadors from foreign powers. Louis XVIII stayed there while awaiting his marriage in 1771, and Charles X for the same reason in 1773. The Hôtel de la Chancellerie was not sold like others during the French revolution. It thus accommodated the municipal councils, the gendarmerie, the offices of the sub-prefecture and the court until 1806. The building and about twenty houses were written off under the July Monarchy and the materials were used to fill the ditches surrounding the Chateau,
You see the pretty Diane’s garden beginning to encroach on the village. A space is created thanks to a concession by Napoleon III of part of the garden of Diana from the castle to the city, at the end of the 19C, and the square space was created, From 1896 until 1953, the square was served by the Fontainebleau tramway line, along rue Denecourt, The monument to Rosa Bonheur in memory of Rosa Bonheur, painter, sculptor and first woman decorated with the Legion of Honor. The monument was erected in the center of the square on May 19, 1901, The bronze statue of the bull was an enlarged replica of the Walking Bull sculpted by Rosa Bonheur, Under the Vichy regime, as part of the mobilization of non-ferrous metals, the bull , most likely like other statues in the city, would have been shipped to Germany for recasting. Only two casts of the bronze plaques have survived and are now housed in the Dahesh Museum of Art in New York USA, A plaster reproduction of the bull’s head was made in 2013.
The Fontainebleau tourist office on the Carrousel : https://www.fontainebleau-tourisme.com/en/file/726461/manege-les-chevaux-de-bois-1900/
The city of Fontainebleau on its heritage : https://www.fontainebleau.fr/seduisante/fontainebleau-ville-imperiale-aux-portes-de-paris-520.html
There you go folks, enjoy Fontainebleau and its wonderful Carrousel as we always do. The city has history architecture and more to show you around outside the famous castle property, Do walk the town and be amazed of the beauty of Fontainebleau !
And remember, happy travels, good health,and many cheers to all!!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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