Park Life: Paris: Tuileries & Jardin du Luxembourg

The Jardin des Tuileries, one of the big inner-city parks of Paris, is situated right in the city centre, next to the Louvre and the Seine. With its beautiful statues, geometric forms and strict lines, it is a model of classical French garden architecture. For the Parisians who live in the centre, the Tuileries Garden is like an oasis amidst the stony splendour of their city.

Autumn is the most colourful season in the park. “Boules players are both the most peaceful and the craziest people in the world,” wrote Honoré de Balzac. In the south-western corner of the park is the boulodrome, where people play pétanque. They throw heavy metal balls as close as possible to a small ball called cochonnet – or piglet. Thierry Lesage and Michèle Cornette de Saint Cyr are masters of the sport.

When spring arrives, we return to the Tuileries. Here we meet the photographer Benloÿ. With her old analogue camera she is looking for motifs that show everyday life in the park. In times of instant digital photography, Benloÿ relies on the magic of analogue black-and-white film. By looking at her photographs we conclude our journey through two of the most beautiful and fascinating parks in Europe.

Part of the ’Park Life: Europe’s Great City Parks’ series.

Full Series