Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The gardens of the Champs-Élysées occupy an initially marshy site, transformed from the seventeenth century. Acquired by the city of Paris in 1828, they were designed in 1859 by the engineer Adolphe Alphand according to the model of English gardens. Their development is part of the Haussmann modernization of the capital, combining nature and urbanity.

Organized in rectangular squares, these gardens house emblematic places such as the Grand Palais, the Petit Palais or the Marigny Theatre. The Ambassadors Square, renowned in 2023 as a tribute to Line Renaud, and the Ledoyen Square, dedicated to Charles Aznavour in 2023, illustrate their cultural and memorial dimension. Aisles pay tribute to figures like Marcel Proust or Major Massoud.

The gardens also include additional areas, such as the square Jean-Perrin or the garden of New France, and are crossed by major axes such as Avenue des Champs-Élysées. Their history reflects the political and artistic evolutions of Paris, from their creation under the influence of the Marquise de Pompadour to their contemporary renovations.

In 2023-2024, new tributes were added, such as a sculpture by Alison Saar for the Olympic Games or the renaming of the garden of the Abords-du-Petit-Palais in Kyiv garden. These additions demonstrate their continued role as a place of remembrance and celebration.

The site, served by lines 1 and 13 of the metro, remains a high point of walk and culture, bordered by historic hotels, fountains (like Diane's), and basins. His story is also marked by events such as the shooting of the film Charade in 1963, anchoring the gardens in the collective imagination.

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