Beneath our feet lies a tunnel. It is a section of the boulevard périphérique. Above us stretches a green oasis. We are standing at the entrance to the Jardin des Poètes in Paris. This garden is also known as the Square des Poètes. It is a public garden. The Jardin des Poètes borders the Jardin des Serres d’Auteuil in the 16th arrondissement.
The Jardin des Poètes came to life in 1954. Pascal Bonetti initiated it. He was the honorary president of the Société des Poètes Français. Édouard Frédéric-Dupont inaugurated it. He was the president of the municipal council of Paris. André Marie, the Minister of National Education, was also present.
What makes this garden special? Plaques are scattered across the lawns. Each plaque features verses by French poets. Some are famous. Others are not so well-known. Statues and busts of poets dot the landscape. There are more than 100 plaques about poets. They include extracts from their verses.
The Jardin des Poètes spans 13,400 square meters. A black pine from Austria towers above. Planted in 1900, it reaches a height of 32 meters. A white poplar and an almond tree also call this place home.
Notably, the Jardin des Poètes has earned the Ecojardin label. This recognizes its commitment to environmental stewardship.
As you wander you’ll see statues and busts. A monument to Joachim Gasquet stands here. It features a muse leaning on a pedestal. The pedestal is adorned with a medallion of the poet. Marius Remondot’s statue pays homage to Frédéric Mistral. It depicts an old shepherd. Louis Dejean created the bust of Théophile Gautier in 1933. Georges Themistocles Maltero sculpted the bust of Jean Moréas in 1962. Youri Orekhov gifted the bust of Alexander Pushkin. The city of Moscow presented it. Auguste Rodin sculpted the bust of Victor Hugo. Yerbol Ziyabekov created the sculpture of Abaï Kounanbaïouly. It was a gift from the Republic of Kazakhstan.
A walk through the Jardin des Poètes is a literary stroll. You can discover verses by Guillaume Apollinaire. Also Louis Aragon, and Agrippa d’Aubigné. There is Théodore de Banville and Charles Baudelaire. The garden celebrates a century of French poetic expression.
The Jardin des Poètes integrates with the Jardin des Serres d’Auteuil. This creates a larger green space. The site avoids all use of plant protection products. This shows its commitment to ecological practices. The paths are made of deactivated concrete. This reduces the growth of weeds. When weeds appear, they are removed manually.
The Jardin des Poètes may soon receive the Jardin Remarquable label. If it is labelled, guided tours could take place. They would run jointly with tours of the Jardin des Serres d’Auteuil. Both gardens would form an alliance of natural beauty.