Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

Bagatelle Park, nicknamed the "Folie d'Artois", was created in 1775 on the initiative of the Count of Artois, brother of Louis XVI, after a bet with Marie-Antoinette. Built in just 64 days by 900 workers, its castle and gardens, designed in one night by architect François-Joseph Bélanger, embody the Anglo-Chinese aesthetics then in vogue. This style, inspired by Chinese pagodas, breaks with the rigidity of French gardens, reflecting a quest for exoticism and artificial nature. The park incorporates rococo elements such as a temple of philosophy, a Hindu pavilion or caves, creating a "false nature" contrasting with the surrounding landscapes of the Seine and the hills of Saint-Cloud.

The estate, threatened with disappearance during the French Revolution, was enriched in the nineteenth century by an orangery, stables (1835), and then pavilions and terraces (1870). Repurchased in 1870 by Sir Richard Wallace, the park was enlarged by 10 hectares and redesigned by Louis-Sulpice Varé, before being ceded to the city of Paris in 1905. Jean-Claude Nicolas Forestier, Curator of Bois de Boulogne, then supervised his rehabilitation. The park became a place of innovation: in 1907 Charles Voisin made the first mechanical flight with an explosion engine. Since then, its rose garden, with 10,000 feet and 1,200 varieties, has hosted an annual international competition.

In the 20th century, Bagatelle became a major cultural and botanical space, integrated in the Jardin botanique de Paris alongside the greenhouses of Auteuil and Vincennes' arboretum. The park also inspired the arts: Montherlant devoted a text to it in 1932, while cinema (like Bonjour grin de Claude Saulet) and television (Paris Police 1900 series) took over as a decor. Today, its 25 hectares combine historical heritage, thematic exhibitions (like Paris Landscapes in 2013) and biodiversity, perpetuating its role as a haven of peace and creativity on the edge of the Bois de Boulogne.

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