Foundation of the Colonial Trial Garden 1899 (≈ 1899)
Created by Jean Dybowski for tropical crops.
1907
Colonial exhibition
Colonial exhibition 1907 (≈ 1907)
Transformation into a didactic garden with colonial villages.
1916
First mosque in France
First mosque in France 1916 (≈ 1916)
Inauguration for colonial soldiers during the Great War.
1921
Establishment of the Institute of Colonial Agronomy
Establishment of the Institute of Colonial Agronomy 1921 (≈ 1921)
Fusion with a school to form INAC.
1984
Fire of the Indochinese temple
Fire of the Indochinese temple 1984 (≈ 1984)
Reborn in 1992 as a pagoda.
2006
Reopening to the public
Reopening to the public 2006 (≈ 2006)
After acquisition by the City of Paris in 2003.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
Vietnamese Pagoda or Indochinese Temple (creded in 1984): inscription by decree of 6 May 1965 - Great greenhouse and greenhouse of Dahomey; pavilions of Indochina, Tunisia, Réunion, Congo, Morocco and Guyana; Dinh esplanade with its decoration and funeral urn, Tongan bridge, Khmer bridge, Chinese gate, tiger trap, large wooden bell, monuments to the dead of the war 1914-1918 (Box 12: 01 BD 3): inscription by order of 1 June 1994
Key figures
Jean Dybowski - Agronomist and explorer
Founder of the colonial trial garden in 1899.
René Dumont - Pioneer Ecologist
Former student, give his name to the garden.
Jean-Baptiste Belloc - Sculptor
Author of the colonial statues exhibited.
Origin and history
The garden of tropical agronomy René-Dumont, located at the eastern end of the wood of Vincennes (Paris 12th), occupies the location of the former colonial trial garden founded in 1899 by agronomist Jean Dybowski. This site aimed to experiment with tropical crops (coffee trees, banana trees, rubber) to optimize the production of French colonies. Between 1899 and 1907, he recovered pavilions and greenhouses from universal or colonial exhibitions, such as the Dahomey greenhouse (1900) or the Congo Pavilion (1906), transforming the site into an educational garden featuring colonial villages during the 1907 exhibition.
During the First World War, the site served as a hospital for colonial troops, even hosting the first mosque in metropolitan France (1916, destroyed after the war). After 1918, it became a place of memory with monuments to overseas soldiers dead for France (Madagascar, Indochina, Africa). In 1921, the garden merged with a school to form the Institute of Colonial Agronomy, forerunner of current research centres such as CIRAD, installed on site until 1995.
The pavilions, such as the temple of Indo-Chinese memory (fired in 1984 and rebuilt in 1992) or the pavilion of Tunisia (renovated in 2020), bear witness to this colonial past. Today, the garden combines historical heritage (monuments classified in 1994), agronomic research and ecological commitments, hosting institutions such as CIRAD or CIRED. His name pays tribute to René Dumont, an environmentalist trained in this place, symbolizing his transition to a sustainable vocation.
Architectural remains — Khmer and Tonkinian bridges, Chinese gate, Dinh esplanade — recall the 1907 exhibition, retrospectively described as a human zoo for its staging of colonized populations. Five colonial statues, from a monument of Jean-Baptiste Belloc, lie near the entrance, illustrating contemporary memorial debates. The site, classified in 1960, remains a hybrid space: postcolonial memory, francilian biodiversity and incubator of ecological initiatives.
Vegetation, once exotic, has given way to local species, except for a few relics (bambous, khaki). The greenhouses (1899–72) and laboratories recall its scientific role, while the monuments to the dead and the Indochinese pagoda (the emblem of the garden) anchor its commemorative dimension. Since 2006, its opening to the public has made it a place for walking and reflection on the French colonial heritage.
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