Can you believe that the Chemin des Buttes was once barren land? It is hard to imagine now. The Chemin des Buttes loosely translates to Bald Mountain. Its name comes from the once barren land. The chemical composition of its soil meant it was almost free of vegetation.
Let’s explore the Chemin des Buttes. Before the 19th century it was considered just outside the city limits. It was near the Gibbet of Montfaucon. This was the main gallows of the kings of France. The natural elevation was well suited to displaying the bodies of hanged criminals. This multi-tiered gibbet stood from the 13th century until 1760.
After the French Revolution the tract of land became a refuse dump. It became a place for processing horse carcasses and a depository for sewage. Another part of the acreage was a former gypsum and limestone quarry.
Emperor Louis-Napoléon III envisioned a bucolic public park. He wanted meandering paths water features and cliffs. Though it was hardly an ideal location for such a park Buttes Chaumont was the very spot chosen. Georges-Eugène Haussmann was chosen by Napoleon III to carry out his vision. He commissioned landscape architect and civil engineer Jean-Charles Alphand to construct the park.
Alphand reported that the site spread infectious emanations. These emanations affected not only the neighboring areas but also the entire city. The wind carried the smells far.
Despite this work commenced in 1864. The Chemin des Buttes made its debut during the 1867 Exposition Universelle.
The Chemin des Buttes is located in the 19th arrondissement. It is one of the neighborhoods with the least suspected history. It was radically transformed since the 19th century. Neighborhoods located outside of Paris were annexed in 1860. These areas were known for their notorious Gibbet of Montfaucon. They were especially known for their quarries of gypsum. Since the 16th century this area of Paris was used for extraction of gypsum. This continued until its annexation to Paris under Napoleon III.
Historically a workers and popular neighborhood it has been transformed. Discover the Chemin des Buttes during a pleasant walk.
During the expansion of Paris in 1860 Napoleon III decided to transform the old gypsum quarry into a magnificent garden. All would be struck and backfilled to create landscape design. The park’s reliefs come from ancient excavations performed to extract the gypsum.
The Parc des Buttes Chaumont was inaugurated on April 1 1867. It opened on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition held in Paris.
Just like the general appearance of the park the lake is a pure creation of the time. Its waters come from the Ourcq Canal. Cross the suspension bridge designed by Gustave Eiffel.
Climb to the top of the island. Here is the Temple of the Sibyl a copy of the Temple of Vesta in Tivoli Italy. This kiosk was commissioned by Napoleon III in 1869.
Now the Buttes-Chaumont park is one of the most popular green spaces. Parisians and tourists come from the first days of spring to enjoy the Chemin des Buttes. They come to read picnic or sunbathe. With its large lake its belvedere and its hectares of lawn the place is clearly bucolic and idyllic.