The Japanese garden at Parc Edmond de Rothschild in Boulogne

Everyone knows about the superb Japanese garden at the Musée Albert Kahn in Boulogne, but do you know about the Japanese garden at the Parc Edmond de Rothschild? Located on rue des Victoires in front of Hôpital Ambroise Paré, the Parc de Boul ogne hides many treasures.

Parc de Boulogne, also known as Parc Edmond de Rothschild, is actually part of the park of Château de Buchillot, built by James de Rothschild between 1855 and 1861. At the time, the château comprised 30 hectares of French and English gardens. Today, this completely dilapidated chateau has been vandalized and occupied successively by Germans and Americans. Passed from hand to hand, it now belongs to the Novaxia real estate group, which intends to turn it into housing.

Of this grandiose estate, 15 hectares remain, now a park open to the public. Hidden away in this verdant family park is a Japanese garden waiting to be discovered. The garden was originally created by Edmond de Rothscild, who was captivated by a display of Japanese ornamental plants at the 1900Paris World's Fair .

There he met Mr. Hatta, a Japanese horticulturist, whom he hired on the spot to create his Japanese garden, which covers 1 hectare. Completed in 1925, the garden featured a pagoda, a kiosk, dwarf conifers and Japanese maples. The garden was maintained by the family until the occupation in 1939, when the family was forced to flee abroad.

Today, the river that meanders through the garden, a pond and a waterfall remain. The promontories of the various lanterns that were to adorn the garden are still visible. In terms of vegetation, the pines, maples and other conifers, which were dwarfed in the past, are now of normal size.

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There are 2 red bridges in the park. A large one that crosses the pond and a smaller one, hidden in the heart of the vegetation, between the bamboos and the stream. But why red bridges at all? Red is a sacred color in Japan. It marks the passage between the realms of man and god.

So, how about a passageway to serenity and sacredness?