
A little history :

Originally, this garden was the garden of the former Carmelite convent that was located here.
It was beloved spot of the people of Toulouse during the " Belle Epoque " .
For as long as anyone can remember, several paths lined with magnificent trees have converged towards " The Grand Rond, the Jardin des Plantes and the Jardin Royal " .
As a result, the Grand Rond is one of the largest roundabouts in France, with four avenues converging at its center.
In 1900, the Jardin des Plantes housed some wild and unusual animals such as monkeys and seals.
In 1901, the bandstand that we know today was built, where musicians used to perform.
The people of Toulouse are know for their love of outdoor concerts, and this remains true to this day.
At that time, there was almost one concert per day during the good weather.
In 1908, the exhibition dedicated to commerce and industry occupied the grounds.
It attracted a huge crowd and a symphony orchestra composed a special piece for its inauguration.
The Grand Rond was named " Boulingrin " at the time, derived from the English " Bowling green " , which means lawn for playing boules.
Nowadays, this is still the case.
Many residents of the neighborhood come to play boules.
During that time, a metal footbridge was constructed to connect the Grand Rond garden with the Royal Garden.
Today, there are two of these distinctive footbridges that add to the charm of these three interconnected gardens.
The " Jardin des Plantes " Garden :

The " Jardin des Plantes " was created in 1754 by " Philippe Picot " .
It covers an area of 7 hectares, and a mechenical footbridge connects it to the Grand Rond garden.
The entrances of the garden :
The Jardin des Plantes has no fewer than three grand entrances.
The entrance on the " Allée Jules Guesde " :
The most frequently used entrance is the one on the side of " Allée Jules Guesde ", which was built by the architect " Virebent " .
The entrance is adorned with majestic marble columns from Minervois, which come from the former Carmes convent that once stood at this location.
The entrance on " Avenue Frédéric Mistral " :
It is an entrance made of terracotta bricks, typically in the Toulouse architectural style.
In fact, it is the oldest gate of the Capitole in Toulouse, built by " Nicolas Bachelier " in 1955 and which has been surpassed at this location.
There are three of them, and you can admire one at the Louvre Museum in Paris .
The southeast entrance :
It's grand arch arch made of with stone, with a rounded opening.
The trees :

Over 600 botanical species are present in the garden.
The reason is that the medical school was located here, it still is, and therefore had medicinal plants for their research .
Including notably a " Ginkgo Biloba " from China and gigantic " Sequoia " from the United-States .
Some are dedicated to friendships between peoples, such as the lime tree, which is dedicated to Franco-Slovak friendship.
The sculptures :

The state wanted to show symbolic support for Toulouse' s scientific advancements.
That why you can admire several major sculptures from the 19th and 20th centuries in the garden.
These sculptures give it a slight atmosphere of Italian ancient Rome.
In total, there are 24 sculptures in the garden.
Large sculpture of Diane and the woman with peacocks :

Presence also a bust of " Pierre Paul Riquet " , the famous designer of the Canal du Midi :

The other sculptures that you can find in the botanical Jardin des Plantes garden :
The Wallace fountain :

The Parisian fountain very fashionable initially, and Toulouse succumbed to the charm of these fountains, installing two of them in the Grand Rond garden and Jardin des Plantes garden.
It was installed in the 19th century, when the Jardin des Plantes was landscape in the English style. They are aesthic and built by the sculptor ' Charles-Auguste Lebeug " , which are indeed true works of art.
They are made of cast iron, the largest one being three meters high in Paris where there are about a hundred of them.
They incorporate Greek stat vary codes.
On a pedestal, four Caryatids back to back support a dome decorated with dolphins.
The four caryatids represent kindness, simplicity, charity, and sobriety.
The quartet actually represents the cycle of the seasons.
Simplicity represents spring.
Charity represents summer.
Sobriety represents autumn.
Kindness represents winter.
These fountains used to provide drinkable water.
Today, there are 8 of them throughout Toulouse, but they are only decorative.
The public garden is in the spirit of the gardens of the " Belle Epoque " , with a pont and artificial hill where children love to come and feed the ducks, swans, and geese.
This garden is indeed a true paradise for children.
Many games and ride are avaible for children.
And it is garden where people lounge on the lawns or play sports.
Numerous refreshment stands to drink and enjoy a little treat.
Jardin Royal garden :

This garden covers an area of 1.7 hectares and its creation dates back to 1754 by " Louis Mandrand " .
After many name changes, it was finally named the Royal Garden in 1886.
This garden is also in the English style, it is smallest of the three gardens and it is connected to the Grand Rond garden by a walkway .
In this garden , we are almost in the heart of nature, with a pont with ducks, very beautiful wrought iron benches serving as railing , and especially magnificent flowers beds.
In the latter, there are shade shrubs, heathland plants such a Camelias, Rhododendrons, Pieris, Azaleas, and immense trees including Hackberries and Camelias.
There are also very beautiful benches that serve as a railing at the artificial lake level.
In this Jardin Royal garden, we can observe many sculptures :

A bronze statue of " Madeleine Tezenas ", which is an abstract metal sculpture accompanied by a memorial plaque for the Pionneers of the airmail service, representing technology.

This sculpture is also by " D'Auguste Guenot " in 1850.
This sculpture is placed on a stone pedestal and is made of white marble.
It depicts a woman proudly holding her child by the hand.
She is located at the entrance of the walkway leading to the Grand Rond garden.
But the highlight of the place statue of " Antoine de Saint-Exupéry " and his little Prince :

This bronze statue is the work of " Madeleine Tezenas de Montcel " , inaugurated on november 24, 2000 for the centenary of this birth.
" Antoine de Saint-Exupéry " is seated on an open world corolla, looking towards the Little Prince, who stands on the page of an open book, seemingly questionning him for eternity.
This book, published in 1943 is the second most published book in the world after the Bible .
It is the garden where the people of Toulouse love to relax on the lawns, read a book, sunbathe, and engage in many other activities.
The Grand Rond garden :

This garden is about 200 meters in diameter since four large alleys converge at its center.
Its construction dates back to 1752 to 1754, and its covers 4 hectares.
It was transformed into a English garden in the 19tn century.
It was named the " Grand Rond " garden in 1830.
It features a magnificent music kiosk that is still active and a grandiose bassin.
In this garden, you can discover a Wallace fountain like in the Jardin des Plantes.
In the garden , there are truly remarkable statues :

Statue of Louis Vestrepain by " Antoine Mercier " .
The statue is placed on a stone pedestal and is made of marble.
The man is standing and appears to be smiling.
This man, born in Toulouse in 1865, was a poet, shoemaker, writer, and bootmaker.
He was a laureate of the Archaeological and Literary Society of Béziers.

This statue represents the awakening of Morpheus.
It dates from 1894 and was sclupted by " Léo Laporte-Blairsy " .
This statue is made of marble and rests on a white stone pedestal.
Morpheus is presented to us with his arms behind him in a rather sensual pose.

This monument is a bust representing Lucien Mengaud and was created by " Laspagin ".
He was a Toulouse-born Occitan poet who composed " La Toulousaine " in 1844, also was known as " La Tolosenca " which was set to music in 1845 by " Pierre Louis Deffès " .
Later on, this song inspired " Claude Nougaro ", a famous singer from Toulouse, who composed a love anthem to his hometown : Toulouse !!! .
The presence of a magnificent statue that creates an opening on the northern side of garden :
The ensemble of statues forming the northern entrance of the Grand Rond garden is truly remarkable.
They were created by " Louis Rouillard " and were acquired in 1865 during the exhibition held at that time in Toulouse .
They are made of cast iron and face each other.
It depicts a chained female dog with her puppies facing a she-wolf with a frightened puppy she has just stolen.
The monumental gate of the Grand Rond garden :
This monumental gate is located facing " Frédéric Mistral Avenue " .
However, it only arrived here in 1965.
Indeed, these 46 tons of wrought iron, built in Toulouse to protect of the dykes built in Toulouse the protect the city from floods of the Garonne, were originally installed at the city's entrance gate, in the " Saint-Cyprien " district, next to the covered market.
This large-scale work of art could only be constructed by a prominent architect.
Thus, The Toulousain " Joseph Bosc " one of the finest master locksmiths in France, created it in 18th century.
The work was so colossal after its completion, he was completely ruined !!! .

Today, in this garden, the people of Toulouse come to stroll on the lawns, play " pétanque ", have a drink at a refreshment stand, and admire this magnificent garden.
The kiosk is still active, and on weekends, the people of Toulouse arrive to dance to the sound of rock and jazz.
A lively atmosphere is always present in this place !!! .
BONUS VIDEO : We are dancing always on the music kiosk :
BONUS VIDEO : A very interesting concept in all three gardens :
The Occitanie region is highly gastronomic and a major agricultural area.
For one weekends, all the key players in this flied have come together at the three garden for a weekend of tastings, workshops, and conferences.
We are able to meet with all the producers from our region, all of whom were certified BIO/AOP, and even observe some of their magnificent animals like cows.
These are creators who put their expertise and skills into nourishing un in the best possible way.
I'm finished for today, my friends.
T hope this story about the history and evolution of these three gardens brought together by two walkaways in Toulouse, will captivate you.
Welcome in Toulouse.
The blog from Toulouse.
Greetings Franck.
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