The Parc de Bercy of Paris !!!

Posted in France, Paris

This is a very nice park in my eternal Paris. It is still in the off the beaten path line but worth the detour to see it, The area is great day or night for a wonderful time whether alone or with family.  Therefore, here is my take on the Parc de Bercy of Paris !!!  Hope you enjoy the post as I

The parc de Bercy is a group of three gardens located in the Bercy quartier or neighborhood of the 12éme arrondissement or district of Paris, between the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy and the Bercy Village shopping and dining center, on the site of the former Bercy warehouses, for a total of 14 ha , The park is served by metro lines 6 and 14 at Bercy station and by line 14 at Cour Saint-Émilion station. The park is also located not far from the Paris-Bercy bus station, which remains the busiest bus station in France. The Parc de Bercy built on the site of bonded warehouses once stood and designed as a garden of memories, paved tracks, warehouses, ruins of the Château de Bercy and about 100 trees, Built on a classical model with grass , parterre, and a terrace that runs down to the Seine river, There is a romantic garden constructed around a canal and ending in an island. The Parc de Bercy is composed of three gardens.

The Grande Prairie or Great Meadow located furthest to the west, It is a meadow punctuated by nine kiosks. It is isolated from the expressway on the riverbank by a grassy embankment that connects with the neighboring Palais Omnisports de Bercy. This terrace offers a spectacular view of the Seine. The Simone de Beauvoir footbridge connects the park to the square in front of the François Mitterrand Library. The meadow is also bordered to the north by the Cinémathèque Française. Call the Prairies and is made up of large lawns shaded by large trees. A footbridge open to all connects the arena and the park halfway up at the level of the rampart walkway bordering the Seine. The rampart walkway, accessible by a cascading staircase, offers a panorama, both of the treetops in the park and of the left bank, and allows you to reach the National Library of France (François Mitterrand site) via the Passerelle Simone-de-Beauvoir footbridge. On this terrace are the twenty-one sculptures “Les Enfants du Monde”, which represent 21 children from 21 different countries and symbolize, at the start of the 21C, respect for children’s rights.

The Parterres located in the center. It is a contemporary evocation of the aristocratic gardens of the former Château de Bercy (demolished). This section is composed of nine “French-style” gardens: a labyrinth, a rose garden, a scented garden, a vegetable garden, an orchard, and trellises. In addition to the cultivated vineyards, two old buildings have been preserved: the Maison du Jardinage or Gardening House ,and a former winery dedicated to exhibitions. The garden closest to Bercy-Village (see post), which occupies the remaining former wine cellars from the 19C, and includes reed ponds where fish and wildlife live, including migratory birds (herons, etc.), reconstructions of dunes, a meadow and a belvedere accessible by a spiral ramp modeled on that of the Jardin des Plantes. Entering from Bercy-Village, on the left is a sculpture by Etienne-Martin called “Demeure X”, surrounded by water lilies. Directly opposite is the Maison du Lac, located in the middle of a pond. The park’s amphitheater houses the Grand-Place, a vestige of the old village of Bercy, near which the Neolithic canoes of Bercy were found. The square is surrounded by unusual places, such as the small Sous-Bois, the Voûte, with a staircase leading to the quay of the basin of the Maison du Lac, Two footbridges over Rue Joseph-Kessel provide access to the Parterres, which include the Maison du Jardinage, an exhibition room and a garden dedicated to plant work activities: educational vegetable gardens open to school pupils, vineyard, rose garden, clipped bushes, flowers, etc. A real curiosity of the place, 400 vines are planted there in memory of the former activity of wine warehouses, which enjoyed its heyday here from the 19C until the 1950s. We can also see old rails which were used at the time to transport wine by tanker wagon as well as an old wine cellar.

The Jardin Romantique or Romantic Garden located to the east, It is organized around a canal located in line with the Palais Omnisport de Bercy. This garden is bisected by Rue Joseph-Kessel and connected by two footbridges. The water theme is complemented by an island, a grotto, and waterfalls. In the center of the island, the Maison du Lac or Lake’s house is a former merchant’s house now dedicated to exhibitions.

Memorable sites to walk to it and by it are the ruins of the small château de Bercy or Pâté-Pâris. The castle became a cavalry barracks from 1814 to 1883. Destroyed in 1883 for the expansion of the wine warehouses, its ruins were integrated into the walls of the Fanton establishments. These were cleared and reconstructed during the development of the park. At the end of the 17C, Charles-Henri de Malon, great-nephew of Colbert and lord of Bercy, had a castle built with gardens and terraces designed by the famous Le Nôtre, which descend to the Seine. The remains of this castle are still visible in Charenton-le-Pont. The Bercy park was established on the very site of the former outbuildings belonging to the castle estate. Also, the remains of the Marché Saint-Germain market ;arcades, Flore amphitheater, steps leading to rue Joseph-Kessel, The musée des Arts forains or Fairground Arts Museum is located at the eastern end of the park. It presents the reconstruction of a funfair from 1850 to 1950 in all its diversity and decorative richness.

The City of Paris on Parc de Bercy : https://www.paris.fr/lieux/parc-de-bercy-grandes-pelouses-5

The Paris tourist office no the parc de Bercy : https://parisjetaime.com/eng/culture/parc-de-bercy-p1060

The Paris tourist office on the Clos de Bercy vineyards : https://parisjetaime.com/eng/transport/clos-de-bercy-vigne-du-parc-de-bercy-p1925

The official Bercy Village on things to see around the park : https://www.bercyvillage.com/tourisme-section-en/around-bercy-village

There you go folks, a wonderful park of my eternal Paris.  The Parc de Bercy needs to be visit,  it is great ,and now better than ever. The surrounding areas makes it a great one two punch of full fun day or night.  Again, hope you have enjoy the post on the Parc de Bercy of Paris !!! as I

And remember, happy travels, good health ,and many cheers to a!l !!!

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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