Itinerary
Are you ready to explore the Forest of Vincennes ? Let’s prepare by visiting a natural garden right in urban area, then seeking the most unusual – and, to the extent possible, green – places in the 20th district.
This will be a rather unique itinerary for at least 2 reasons. First, although it can be done by foot (the drawing assumes this : such a walk will be closer to a hike, and will most likely be too long for young children), it is perfectly possible to take aboveground public transports (namely the tramway between stops 3 and 4), or to use a car (first park near the Père-Lachaise, then near Soult boulevard – stop 2 will have to be skipped – and finally drive towards the Forest of Vincennes trough the Grand Boulevards or the Périphérique).
Second, Paris as you might know or imagine it, will mostly be absent of this itinerary ! Instead, a natural garden, where something as close to wilderness as possible as been recreated, a buddhist center, an incredibly narrow green passageway, and a genuine farm… will be on the way. But we’ll remain all the time either in the 20th or the 12th districts.
5 stops
1. Natural Garden
Very close to the Père-Lachaise cemetery, here is an atypical place : no flower arrangements here, and nearly any equipment. Created in 1995, it is a garden where plants and animals (mostly frogs and tritons in the garden’s pond) thrive freely, with little or no human intervention, apart from the initial set-up.
Chemical treatements are banned, trimming and mowing is reduced to the absolutely necessary. You’ll just find some signs telling you which species you’re observing, and a few alleys to stroll the garden.
2. Picpus Cemetary
The Picpus Cemetery is the largest private cemetery in the city of Paris, France. It was created from land seized from the convent of the Chanoinesses de St-Augustin, during the Revolution. It contains the remains of French aristocrats who had been guillotined.
A pit was dug at the end of the garden where the decapitated bodies were thrown in together, noblemen and nuns, grocers and soldiers, laborers and innkeepers. A second pit was dug when the first filled up. Over 1300 men and women rest in those common graves.
Source : Wikipedia contributors, “Picpus Cemetery“
3. Des Merisiers Path
This is maybe the narrowest path in Paris, only 87-centimer wide ! The Passage de la Duée in the 20th district was even narrower before demolition works changed the features of the place.
The path offers access to a half-timbered house (see 2nd picture), which is quite rare in Paris. It was created in 1857 and named after either the wild cherry trees (“merisiers” in French) bordering him, or the former name of the place, which was “Mézières”. It has been a part of Paris since 1863.
For a long time, the path was ill-lighted and considered dangerous, but since the 1980’s, it is equipped with a better lighting and is now often cited in Paris tourist guides as one of the most charming places of the city
Source : translated from Wikipedia contributors, “Sentier des Merisiers“
4. Buddhist Center of the Forest of Vincennes
At the edge of Daumesnil lake, and created for the Colonial Exposition of 1931, the pagoda of the Forest of Vincennes (initially the Cameroun’s and Togo’s pavilions, converted to a place of worship in 1977) is the work of architects Boileau and Carrière.
It houses the biggest Buddha in Europe, covered with gold leafs, and 9-meter high, as well as the headquarters of the International Buddhist Center (IBC). The Pagoda’s roof is made of small chestnut boards.
Close by is the Tibetan Buddhist Temple of Kagyu-Dzong, build between 1983 and 1985.
5. Paris Farm
This is a 5-hectares educational and environmental farm opened since 1989. It features, on a small scale, the farming crops and animals of the Île-de-France region.
An orchard, a kitchen garden, a transformation room and 2 activity rooms are also part of the farm, allowing visitors to get a better understanding of the farming life and the origins of the daily food products.
The Ferme de Paris has chosen to follow the principles of biological farming : no chemical products of any kind, organic waste recycling, crop rotation, biopersity conservation, animal well-being, and no GMO.
Source : translated from Wikipedia contributors, “Ferme de Paris“
Leisure
Map, navigation, practical information, extra pictures and more are available on the Paris Parcours app.