Luxemburg Gardens Walk in 4K UHD - Paris, France - With CAPTIONS!
The Le Jardin du Luxembourg, known in English as the Luxembourg Gardens, are located in the 6th arrondissement in Paris, France. The gardens were part of the estate and palace built for Marie de' Medici, mother of king Louis XIII, and widow to King Henry IV. Construction of the gardens began in 1612, three years before the construction of the Luxembourg Palace began.
The park is characterized by gravel walkways, beautifully kept lawn, flower beds, and open-air cafés. The garden features and centers around the beautiful Medici Fountain. The garden is mentioned in Victor Hugo's novel , The Miserable , as a meeting place between Marius Pontmercy and Cosette . This is the second largest park in Paris, covering over 60 acres (25 ha / 242,811 m²). Marie de'Medici, who commissioned the construction of the palace, was a member of House of Medici in the branch of the Grand Dukes of Tuscany, Italy. Marie de'Medici was the second wife of King IV of France, who was assassinated the day after her coronation on May 14th, 1610.
Queen Marie was left with six children, aged one to eight. The design of the Luxembourg Palace was based on the Pitte Palace in Queen Marie's native Florence. The design of the gardens were also based on a park in Florence. The gardens were originally just 20 acres ( 8-ha) in size. After the French Revolution, the palace was refashioned into a legislative building. Since 1958, the palace has been home to the Senate of the Fifth Republic.
The Fifth Republic is France's current republican system of government that was put into place after the collapse of the Fourth Republic, which lasted from 1946 to 1958. The palace was built next to the old hôtel particulier owned by François de Luxembourg, Duc de Piney. The old hotel is now called the Petit Luxembourg and is the residence of the president of the French Senate. Construction of the palace began in 1615 and lasted until 1645. The Queen was able to move in though by 1625. In 1642, Marie de' Medici bequeathed the Luxembourg to her second and favourite son, Gaston, duc d'Orléans, who called it the Orléans Palace (Palais d'Orléans). The name, Orléans Palace, was not very popular and so it continued to be called the Luxembourg.
Over the years, ownership of the Luxembourg was passed on or sold from one family member to the next. In 1715, the palace became the residence of the Duchess of Berry, Marie Louise Élisabeth d'Orléans. Marie Louise was born in 1695 at the Palace of Versailles, the eldest of the surviving children the Duke of Orléans and his wife, Françoise Marie de Bourbon. At the age of 15, she was married to the Duke of Berry, the youngest son of the Grand Dauphin. A year later she gave birth to her first child, a stillborn girl.
After the birth of their second child, it became public that her husband was having an affair and she in turn decided to explore her options. Her husband threatened to have her sent to a convent but before he could, he died from injuries sustained in a hunting accident on May 5th, 1714. She was given the Luxembourg Palace in 1715 and it is there that the story takes a turn.
She closed the gardens to the public and used the area to throw huge banquets, masked balls and to satisfy her unquenchable thirst for all pleasures of the flesh. Her taste for strong liquors and her sheer gluttony also scandalized the court. On 28 February 1718, she threw a grand party for her visiting aunt, the Duchess of Lorraine. The entire palace and its gardens were elaborately illuminated. She was suspected to have hidden several pregnancies during her time at the palace and had gained a reputation for scandal.
After a grueling four-day labor, she delivered another stillborn child on April 2nd, 1719. She died three months later at her castle Château de la Muette. An autopsy revealed she was pregnant again. She was 23. In 1750, the palace became a museum, the forerunner to the Louvre, and was open two days a week until 1779.
In 1799, the palace became the residence of Napoleon Bonaparte, as First Consul of the French Republic. This is the Porte Observatoire. This road was cut through the park in 1865, cutting off about 17 acres (7-ha). Between 1799 and 1805, the palace was converted from a residence into a legislative building.
During the German occupation of France, Hermann Göring took over the palace as the headquarters of the Luftwaffe. The palace was a designated "strong point" for German forces defending the city in August 1944. Thanks to the decision of Commanding General Dietrich von Choltitz to surrender the city rather than fight, the palace was only minimally damaged. From 29 July to 15 October 1946, the Luxembourg Palace was the site of the talks of the Paris Peace Conference. During and after the July Monarchy of 1848, the park became the home of a large population of statues.
The first statues placed in the garden were of Queens and other famous women in France. In the late 19th century, more monuments to writers and artists were placed in the gardens. The gardens include a large fenced-in playground for young children as well as a vintage carousel. There are tennis courts off to the right and basketball courts off to the left. The garden contains just over a hundred statues, monuments, and fountains, scattered throughout the grounds. Here at the west end of the garden we find a small-scale model by Bartholdi of his Liberty Enlightening the World, commonly known as the Statue of Liberty.
There are two Statues of Liberty here in Paris. The other is located near the Eiffel Tower on the Seine River. The colossal Statue of Liberty in New York City was given to the United States as a gift from the people of France. The internal metal framework of the Statue of Liberty in NYC was built by Gustave Eiffel, who also built the Eiffel Tower. This is the Porte Fleurus.
Up ahead is the Luxembourg Orangery which houses an assortment of plants like palm trees, oleanders, orange trees and pomegranate trees. This orangery building was built in 1839 replacing the original Orangery. Every year the plants are exposed and positioned within the Jardin du Luxembourg from around May until October. To the left through the trees is the original hotel, the Petit Luxembourg.
Monument à Delacroix This walk is part of a much longer Paris day walk which will be posted to the channel soon. The Medici Fountain, built in 1630, is located in the trees up the steps to the right. I unfortunately did not go up to view the fountain. Please LIKE and SHARE this video as that is the easiest and best way to support the channel! Grazie! In the full Paris walking tour, this walk will continue in the direction of Notre Dame while exploring the streets in Latin Quarter. Thanks for watching!
2021-04-06 05:00
