THE TROCADERO GARDENS OF PARIS

                                           

                                            

                                           

                                               

                                             

                                      

                                                                             

                                                                               

                                                                                  

THE TROCADERO  GARDENS  OF  PARIS.

The Champs-de-Mars (a large public green space in Paris city ) and the Trocadero gardens are separated by the Seine River. Pont d'Iéna ("Jena Bridge") is the bridge spanning the River Seine that links the Eiffel Tower on the left bank to the district of Trocadéro on the right bank. The Champ de Mars is located on the left bank of the Seine River. It was initially used as a training area by the French military. Enveloping the Eiffel Tower in a cloak of green, the Champ de Mars garden has been a familiar picnic spot for French families for generations. Its expansive lawns provide the perfect venue for a picnic with an unbelievable view of the Eiffel Tower.
The Trocadero gardens are located on the right bank of the River Seine just below the Colline de Chaillot hill. On this hill, overlooking the Eiffel Tower, lies the Palais de Chaillot which replaced the old Palais du Trocadéro. Below the Palais de Chaillot, the Trocadéro gardens are beautifully laid. These gardens comprise several small gardens and buildings built for the 1937 Universal Exhibition held in Paris. The Trocadero area is a monumental ensemble visited by countless tourists and locals every year. The Colline de Chaillot hill used to be much higher until the early 19th century when Napoleon levelled it to build a palace for his son. His project never went through as he was booted out of power. The hill was eventually landscaped, decades later, on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition of 1937. The Palais de Chaillot also houses museums dedicated to maritime history, architecture and anthropology.
The impressive gardens and the fountains were originally laid out in the 1870s by prominent architect Adolphe Alphand. Originally the Palais du Trocadéro was conceived for the World Fair of 1878. Then for the International Exhibition of 1937, the old Palace was demolished. The current Palais de Chaillot was built on its foundations. 
The 23-acre Jardins du Trocadero or Trocadero gardens enclose parts of the Palais de Chaillot, facing the Eiffel Tower on the opposite (right bank) of the Seine River. From the spacious platform or esplanade of the Palais de Chaillot, one can get wonderful views of the Eiffel Tower. This is a popular viewing spot at night when the Eiffel Tower is illuminated. Daytime views are also great. It also happens to be an ideal spot for photographing with the Eiffel Tower in the background. At the centre of the platform or esplanade is the to statue of Marshall Foch on horseback as well as a memorial to the French Army. One can also see statues of Apollo and Hercules, sculpted onto the pediment of the pavilions. I also saw locks of faith tied to the grill surrounding the statues. This is an old practice in France whereby young lovers believe in having locked their love till death. After putting this lock, the keys are thrown into the Seine River nearby. On this spacious platform or esplanade, one can see many petty traders ( mostly from Africa ) selling cheap goods and mini replicas of the Eiffel Tower to the  tourists. They don't hassle you to buy unless you start to show interest. I also saw some youngmen from Punjab( India)  selling bottled water to tourists for one Euro a bottle. And on this vast platform, one needs to keep a watch for the skateboarders who speed past and use the space for fun. Loud music is usually played by some dancing entertainers on this spacious platform. Sometimes these entertainers perform on the steps leading to the gardens below the Palace de Chaillot.

 The famous Trocadéro Fountain, made up of several small basins and a large one in the middle lies in the centre of the gardens. Also known as Fontaine de Varsovie or the Warsaw Fountain, it was created in 1937 by Roger Expert and Paul Mâitre, . The Varsovie Fountains are a series of cascading basins, dominated by a large basin, with an array of 20 cannon styled water-jets throwing 5,700 litres of water per second to a distance of 50 meters, as well as 56 water-sprays throwing water 4 meters out and there are 12 vertical fountains throwing water 7 meters high. The Warsaw Fountains are the largest in Paris. The name Trocadéro comes from a battle led by Napoléon Bonaparte in Spain on August 31, 1823. 

The terraces and gardens are lined with Caucasian walnut trees and hazel trees, and decorated with gilded bronze statues . In the Trocadero gardens, one can see two fabulous bronze statues of animals known as Taureau et Daim, which translates to Bull and Deer created by Paul Jouve, and the other called Chevaux et Chien, which translates to Horses and Dog done by Georges Guyot. Another sculpture that was created by Andre Greck, which is called the " Monument aux Combattants Polonais pur la Defense et le Liberation de la France" was only put in place in 1978 to pay respects to the Polish people  and the sculptor Antoine Bourdelle, who was also concerned with Polish issues. The head of the" Statue of Liberty " was also showcased in the Trocadero gardens before it was packed in 214 crates and shifted to the US. Similarly, the rhinoceros and elephant statues, which date from Alphand’s original garden, were transferred to the Orsay Museum in 1986. There are two more sculptures made of stone; one L'Homme or The Man sculpted by Pierre Traverse and the other La Femme or The Woman sculpted by Daniel Bacque.  The western side of the garden has a sculptural masterwork in bronze by Landowski called "Monument à la Amiral de Grasse". 

Metro lines 6 and 9 drop you off at the Trocadero stop, right in front of the park. This area is also accessible by bus. The park is permanently open, but one needs to stay tuned to the weather news. In case of bad weather or strong wind, the closure of the park can be expected. Just like the Champ-de-Mars, the Trocadero gardens are open to the public. 

 The Passy cemetery located close by is also frequented by visitors to the Trocadero gardens to see the graves of Édouard Manet ( artist ), Marcel Dassault ( Dassault aviation ), Claude Debussy ( music composer ), Fernandel ( comedy actor ), Marcel Renault , Berthe Morisot ( painter ), Louis-Ernest Barrias( sculptor ) and many more well-known personalities from the fields of art, literature, music, social life and cinema.
As and when you visit Eiffel Tower, don't forget to visit the historic and impressive Trocadero gardens and the Palace de Chaillot.

 ( Avtar Mota) 

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