The Waterfalls, Waterfalls, channels, and basins in Sceaux, France
Les Cascades is a series of waterfalls, basins, and channels in the Parc de Sceaux, south of Paris in France. The water flows down a stepped series of stone-edged pools before reaching the large octagonal basin known as the Octogone.
The cascades were first laid out in the 1670s by André Le Nôtre, who designed the water features as part of a grand formal garden. After falling into neglect, they were rebuilt in the 1930s by architect Léon Azéma in a cubist-influenced style quite different from the original.
Les Cascades are located inside the Parc de Sceaux, a public park that is open every day and free to enter. The area around the waterfalls is easy to reach on foot from the main paths, and the Allée de Diane offers one of the best views of the full cascade sequence.
Seven decorative masks, known as mascarons, now set into the cascade walls were originally made for the fountains of the Trocadéro in Paris. They are attributed to Auguste Rodin, and were moved to Sceaux during the 1930s restoration.
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