At a time when Paris is undergoing transformation and the Louvre Museum working on adapting its gardens, Jan Synowiecki’s research offers a fresh insight into the history of the gardens and their relationship with the city.

Drawn from his doctoral thesis, his book Paris en ses jardins. Nature et culture urbaine dans Paris au 18e siècle (Paris and its gardens, nature and urban culture in 18th-century Paris) presents a vivid comparison between present-day and bygone practices, equally from the point of view of users and that of managers.