Jardin Atlantique

The Jardin Atlantique is a public green space in Paris above the tracks of the Montparnasse train station (French: Gare Montparnasse ) in the 15th arrondissement . It covers an area of 3.5 hectares.

history

Jardin Atlantique

View from the Tour Montparnasse on the Jardin Atlantique

The over-plating of the tracks and platforms of the new station built in the 1960s and the creation of a green oasis in the midst of high density buildings in 1994 are the product of discussions that have lasted for decades. As early as 1932, a new construction of the Gare Montparnasse was planned in a modernization plan for the Paris train stations. The station was to be moved slightly out of town and a three-hectare park created for the neighboring districts with little greenery. In 1957, the French state railway, SNCF, commissioned a study to finance the construction of the new station and park through a U-shaped office conversion. This was realized in the 1960s, plus the 210 m high, controversial office tower, the Tour Montparnasse , built in 1972 . The expansion of the promised garden, however, was a long time coming. The park, which opened in 1994, was not brought into being until the station was rebuilt for the TGV, but not with a three-meter-thick layer of earth, as requested by the Parisian city gardeners, but much weaker. Tree planting was only possible in a few places, for this 138 technically required openings with an area of 2500 m² had to be accepted, which was partly concealed by decorative elements that were concealed like a backdrop. Essentially, today it is a large meadow area, crossed by an avenue that leads to the (currently out of order) "Fountain of the Hesperides Island". The garden's vegetation is based on that of the Atlantic coasts of Europe and America. A children's playground, table tennis tables and tennis courts are available for games and sports. The garden architects were François Brun and Michel Péna.