Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Source Floral Park is a French garden located south of the Loire, in the district of La Source in Orléans (Loiret, Centre-Val de Loire). Created in 1963 by architect Louis Arretch, it extends over 35 hectares and houses the karst resurgence of the Loiret, called the Bouillon. This natural site, shaped by a relief between Sologne and Val de Loire, juxtaposes forests, thematic gardens and wildlife areas, while integrating historical elements such as an 18th century cooler and statues.

In 1959, the city and the department acquired the 410 hectare estate to develop both the park and the university district of La Source. The park quickly became an emblematic place, welcoming the Orleans International Floralies in 1967, a major event that attracted 2.3 million visitors. Labeled a remarkable garden, it combines landscape heritage (French garden, rose garden, butterflies greenhouse) and innovations, such as the small tourist train or seasonal floral exhibitions.

The park is home to outstanding facilities, including a restaurant greenhouse designed by Louis Arretch and Jean Prouvé, which was listed as a historic monument in 2006. This modern structure, with its glass volumes and asymmetric roof, symbolizes the alliance between contemporary architecture and nature. The site, open to the public with accessible prices, also offers cultural activities (festivals, horticultural fairs) and fun (mini-golf, aviières), while remaining the most visited place in the Loiret with more than 126,000 admissions in 2019.

The history of the land dates back to the year 510, when Clovis I would have ceded to the monks of Saint Mesmin Abbey of Micy. In the 18th century, the estate was converted into a French garden, with terraces, statues and a library gallery. In the 20th century, its transformation into a public park was part of a broader urban project aimed at energizing Orléans via a garden-city combining housing, education and leisure. Today, the park combines ecological preservation (flower crops, local animal species) and tourist attraction, while celebrating regional horticulture.

Among the notable events, the 1967 Floralies marked the peak of the park, with international exhibitions, a reconstituted Gallic village and an ancient ephemeral temple. Other events, such as the festivals of l The park modifies its openings according to the seasons, even offering summer nightclubs, and is positioned as a key player in tourism in the Centre-Val de Loire, while serving as a frame for film shoots, as for the film Tell me about you (2012).

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