Parc de Boulogne Edmond de Rothschild 3 copyright French Moments
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Last Updated: 22 August 2023

The vast Parc de Boulogne Edmond de Rothschild is situated between the Bois de Boulogne and the River Seine in the commune of Boulogne-Billancourt. Not very well known by tourists, this wooded area not far from Paris also provides its visitors plenty of space to rest.

 

Parc de Boulogne Edmond de Rothschild

Entrance of the Edmond de Rothschild Park © French Moments
Entrance of the Edmond de Rothschild Park © French Moments

The domain was acquired by James de Rothschild, a young banker, in 1817 who decided to construct a Louis XIV-style chateau in 1856. Many famous people and celebrities of the time were invited to sumptuous receptions at the chateau: Chopin, Clemenceau… In 1886 his son Edmond inherited the domain. The vast park included:

  • an English garden created in 1860
  • a formal garden which disappears upon the construction of the A. Paré hospital
  • a Japanese garden created between 1900 and 1930.
  • the ‘routin’ area consisting of basins and rocks created in 1924.
From the entrance of the park all paths converge to the big pond © French Moments
From the entrance of the park, all paths converge to the big pond © French Moments

The Germans and the Americans at the Liberation occupied the chateau and its domain during WW2. In 1974 the construction of the A13 motorway from Saint-Cloud to the Périphérique amputated the domain. The 15 hectares that had remained intact were opened to the public in 1982 when the municipality of Boulogne-Billancourt bought the estate. Since then, the chateau has been unoccupied and is in a decrepit state. In April 2016, it was announced that a new owner had bought the chateau and intended to renovate it.

The dilapidated chateau that once belonged to the Rothschilds, Parc de Boulogne © French Moments
The dilapidated chateau that once belonged to the Rothschilds, Parc de Boulogne © French Moments

The park has many remarkable trees, such as plane, lime, and birch trees…

Magnificent trees in the Parc de Boulogne © French Moments
Magnificent trees in the Parc de Boulogne © French Moments

 

The Big Pond

At the centre of the domain stretches a big pond (la pièce d’eau) decorated with a Japanese-style red bridge bordered by woods and vast lawns.

The big pond of the Parc de Boulogne © French Moments
The big pond of the Parc de Boulogne © French Moments
The big pond of the Parc de Boulogne © French Moments
The Parc de Boulogne © French Moments
The waterfall drops onto the big pond of the Parc de Boulogne © French Moments
The waterfall drops onto the big pond of the Parc de Boulogne © French Moments

 

The Japanese Garden

The Japanese garden has changed very much since the beginning of the 20th century when it was created. Nevertheless, it is still a quiet, romantic and shady area of the park.

Japanese Garden of the Parc de Boulogne: the red bridge spanning part of the big pond © French Moments
The red bridge spanning part of the big pond © French Moments
Weird-looking trees growing in the Paris region! Parc de Boulogne © French Moments
Weird-looking trees are growing in the Paris region! Parc de Boulogne © French Moments
In the Japanese Garden of the Parc de Boulogne © French Moments
In the Japanese Garden of the Parc de Boulogne © French Moments
Another red Japanese-style bridge in the Parc de Boulogne © French Moments
Another red Japanese-style bridge in the Parc de Boulogne © French Moments
The stairs leading to a tropical forest? Parc de Boulogne © French Moments
The stairs leading to a tropical forest? Parc de Boulogne © French Moments
An inviting alley in the Japanese Garden of the Parc de Boulogne © French Moments
An inviting alley in the Japanese Garden of the Parc de Boulogne © French Moments
Lush vegetation in the Japanese garden of the Japanese Garden of the Parc de Boulogne © French Moments
Lush vegetation in the Japanese garden of the Parc de Boulogne © French Moments

 

The Routin

The Routin area is a series of basins and little rock formations, making you feel like being in places such as the Vosges mountains.

The Routin in the Parc de Boulogne © French Moments
In the Park © French Moments
The Routin in the Parc de Boulogne © French Moments
The Routin in the Park © French Moments
The Routin in the Parc de Boulogne © French Moments
Parc de Boulogne © French Moments
The Routin in the Parc de Boulogne © French Moments
The Routin in the park © French Moments

 

Wildlife at the Parc de Boulogne

These are some of the wildlife we encountered during our walk across the domain: ducks, juvenile coypus (‘ragondin‘ in French, which is a semi-aquatic rodent), terrapins, pikes…

Junvenile coypus at the Edmond de Rothschild Park © French Moments
Juvenile coypus at the Edmond de Rothschild Park © French Moments
Terrapins at the Edmond de Rothschild Park © French Moments
Terrapins at the Edmond de Rothschild Park © French Moments
Big fish! A pike at the Edmond de Rothschild Park © French Moments
Big fish! A pike at the Edmond de Rothschild Park © French Moments
The duck family, Edmond de Rothschild Park © French Moments
The duck family, Edmond de Rothschild Park © French Moments
The duck family at the Edmond de Rothschild Park © French Moments
The duck family at the Edmond de Rothschild Park © French Moments

 

Practical information

Map of Parc de Boulogne

Gems of Paris by French Moments
About the author

Pierre is a French/Australian who is passionate about France and its culture. He grew up in France and Germany and has also lived in Australia and England. He has a background teaching French, Economics and Current Affairs, and holds a Master of Translating and Interpreting English-French with the degree of Master of International Relations, and a degree of Economics and Management. Pierre is the author of Discovery Courses and books about France.

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