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](https://frenchmoments.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Parc-de-Boulogne-Edmond-de-Rothschild-1-copyright-French-Moments.jpg)
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](https://frenchmoments.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Parc-de-Boulogne-Edmond-de-Rothschild-2-copyright-French-Moments.jpg)
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](https://frenchmoments.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Parc-de-Boulogne-Edmond-de-Rothschild-23-copyright-French-Moments.jpg)
The park has many remarkable trees, such as plane, lime, and birch trees…
![Magnificent trees in the Parc de Boulogne © French Moments](https://frenchmoments.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Parc-de-Boulogne-Edmond-de-Rothschild-9-copyright-French-Moments.jpg)
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](https://frenchmoments.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Parc-de-Boulogne-Edmond-de-Rothschild-3-copyright-French-Moments.jpg)
![The big pond of the Parc de Boulogne © French Moments](https://frenchmoments.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Parc-de-Boulogne-Edmond-de-Rothschild-4-copyright-French-Moments.jpg)
![The waterfall drops onto the big pond of the Parc de Boulogne © French Moments](https://frenchmoments.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Parc-de-Boulogne-Edmond-de-Rothschild-20-copyright-French-Moments.jpg)
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](https://frenchmoments.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Parc-de-Boulogne-Edmond-de-Rothschild-12-copyright-French-Moments.jpg)
![Weird-looking trees growing in the Paris region! Parc de Boulogne © French Moments](https://frenchmoments.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Parc-de-Boulogne-Edmond-de-Rothschild-10-copyright-French-Moments.jpg)
![In the Japanese Garden of the Parc de Boulogne © French Moments](https://frenchmoments.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Parc-de-Boulogne-Edmond-de-Rothschild-18-copyright-French-Moments.jpg)
![Another red Japanese-style bridge in the Parc de Boulogne © French Moments](https://frenchmoments.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Parc-de-Boulogne-Edmond-de-Rothschild-17-copyright-French-Moments.jpg)
![The stairs leading to a tropical forest? Parc de Boulogne © French Moments](https://frenchmoments.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Parc-de-Boulogne-Edmond-de-Rothschild-16-copyright-French-Moments.jpg)
![An inviting alley in the Japanese Garden of the Parc de Boulogne © French Moments](https://frenchmoments.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Parc-de-Boulogne-Edmond-de-Rothschild-15-copyright-French-Moments.jpg)
![Lush vegetation in the Japanese garden of the Japanese Garden of the Parc de Boulogne © French Moments](https://frenchmoments.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Parc-de-Boulogne-Edmond-de-Rothschild-19-copyright-French-Moments.jpg)
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](https://frenchmoments.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Parc-de-Boulogne-Edmond-de-Rothschild-5-copyright-French-Moments.jpg)
![The Routin in the Parc de Boulogne © French Moments](https://frenchmoments.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Parc-de-Boulogne-Edmond-de-Rothschild-8-copyright-French-Moments.jpg)
![The Routin in the Parc de Boulogne © French Moments](https://frenchmoments.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Parc-de-Boulogne-Edmond-de-Rothschild-7-copyright-French-Moments.jpg)
![The Routin in the Parc de Boulogne © French Moments](https://frenchmoments.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Parc-de-Boulogne-Edmond-de-Rothschild-6-copyright-French-Moments.jpg)
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](https://frenchmoments.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Parc-de-Boulogne-Edmond-de-Rothschild-11-copyright-French-Moments.jpg)
![Terrapins at the Edmond de Rothschild Park © French Moments](https://frenchmoments.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Parc-de-Boulogne-Edmond-de-Rothschild-14-copyright-French-Moments.jpg)
![Big fish! A pike at the Edmond de Rothschild Park © French Moments](https://frenchmoments.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Parc-de-Boulogne-Edmond-de-Rothschild-13-copyright-French-Moments.jpg)
![The duck family, Edmond de Rothschild Park © French Moments](https://frenchmoments.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Parc-de-Boulogne-Edmond-de-Rothschild-22-copyright-French-Moments.jpg)
![The duck family at the Edmond de Rothschild Park © French Moments](https://frenchmoments.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Parc-de-Boulogne-Edmond-de-Rothschild-21-copyright-French-Moments.jpg)
Practical information
- Entrance to the park is free
- More practical information about the Parc de Boulogne and how to get there.