La banlieue côté jardins. Parcs et jardins à l’Est de Paris (1700-2000) – Nogent-sur-Marne (France)
The garden side of the suburbs. Parks and gardens to the east of Paris (1700-2000)
Dreams come true or social ambitions, gardens contrast with the wild world by proposing an orderly version of nature, for the pleasure of all who attend.
The area to the east of Paris offers one of the finest garden repertoires. As early as the Ancien Régime, the banks of the Seine and the Marne were dotted with splendid royal and aristocratic estates, such as those in Conflans, Bercy and Choisy-le-Roi.
Eastern Paris was urbanised after the Industrial Revolution. Yet, gardens did not for as much disappear. Some were spared from industrial development, whilst others were transformed. They served for the construction of small housing estates. And as the eastern suburbs developed, the need for parks and gardens became vital. For a long time closed, the Bois de Vincennes and the Tremblay Park reopened their gates to all. In Nogent-sur-Marne, a park that was once reserved for aristocrats, became that of the Fondation Nationale des Artistes (national artists’ foundation). In Ivry and Vitry-sur-Seine, allotments and shared gardens were born. A garden city was created in Champigny-sur-Marne. To present this exhibition, the museum has not only gathered its own collections, but also a number of exhibits on loan, collectively offering a vast diversity of documents: plans, scale models, films, photographs, paintings, engravings, gardening tools, etc.
Musée intercommunal de Nogent-sur-Marne
36 boulevard Gallieni
94130 Nogent-sur-Marne
