Buffon Gazebo, Metal gazebo in Jardin des Plantes, France.
The Buffon Gazebo is a metal rotunda with eight fluted columns supporting a tent-shaped roof topped with an armillary sphere. It sits atop an artificial mound within the Jardin des Plantes and serves as a focal point in the garden's design.
Built in 1786, it marks a turning point in construction history as one of the earliest metal structures in Paris. The materials came from Buffon's ironworks in Burgundy, showing the connection between industrial production and garden design of that era.
The name honors the renowned naturalist Georges-Louis Leclerc de Buffon, whose scientific ideas shaped this garden's purpose. An inscription on the structure reveals how closely science and nature study were intertwined in this place.
The gazebo is reachable via a spiral path that winds through the garden's labyrinth section, starting from the main entrance area. The elevated location offers good views across the garden and is accessible to most visitors.
Inside the structure was once a solar clock mechanism fitted with horsehair that automatically marked noon. This ingenious device no longer functions following restoration work, yet remains part of the site's technical heritage.
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