Parc André Citroën is a 14 hectares (35 acres) public park located on the left bank of the river Seine in the XVe arrondissement (district) of Paris. The park was built on the site of a former Citroën automobile manufacturing plant, and is named after company founder André Citroën.
The park is built around a central, rectangular lawn of roughly 273 by 85 meters of size. It is embellished with two greenhouse pavilions (hosting exotic plants and Mediterranean vegetation) at the Eastern, urban end, which are separated by a paved area featuring dancing fountains. The South edge of the lawn is bounded by a monumental canal — the "Jardin des Métamorphoses" — composed of an elevated reflecting pool that reaches through granite guard houses, lined by a suspended walkway. On the North side are two sets of small gardens: the six "Serial Gardens", each with a distinct landscape and architectural design, and a "Garden in Movement" that presents wild grasses selected to respond at different rates to wind velocity. A 630-meter diagonal path cuts through the park, which constantly changes in its nature.
Since 1999, the park has been home to a moored gas balloon. It allows visitors to rise above the Parisian skyline, and is currently operated by the Banque Populaire. The balloon is filled with 6000 cubic meters of helium. It is 32 meters high and has a diameter of 22 meters. It is moored to the ground with a hydroelectrically-activated cable. It can rise to an altitude of 150 meters and has a carrying capacity of 30 adults, or 60 children. The balloon provides a view of the Champ de Mars, the River Seine, Basilica of the Sacré Cœur and the Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral.
The six serial gardens are each associated with a metal, a planet, a day of the week, a state of the water, and a sense:
The Blue Garden: copper, Venus, Friday, rain, and the sense of smell;
The Green Garden: tin, Jupiter, Thursday, spring water, and the sense of hearing;
The Orange Garden: mercury (the metal), Mercury (the planet), Wednesday, creeks, and the sense of touch;
The Red Garden: iron, Mars, Tuesday, waterfalls, and the sense of taste;
The Silver Garden: silver, the Moon, Monday, rivers, and sight;
The Golden garden: gold, the Sun, Sunday, evaporation, and the 6th sense.
(Source:
Wikipedia and
Gardenvisit.com)
The coordinates were taken at the entrance to the main area of the park.