Parc des Bastions, Cultural park in Geneva, Switzerland
Parc des Bastions is a large green space in central Geneva with tree-lined pathways, open lawns, and several recreational areas. The grounds feature a restaurant housed in a former botanical glasshouse and a children's playground.
The park occupies ground between Geneva's 16th- and 17th-century fortifications and was laid out from 1720 as the "Belle promenade", partly on former vegetable plots. During Geneva's attachment to France (1798–1813) it was renamed "Lycée de la patrie" and housed the stables of the French garrison. In 1816–1817 it was cleared and planted with potatoes during the famine linked to the Tambora eruption, and in 1817 Augustin Pyrame de Candolle created the botanical garden there. The Reformation Wall was inaugurated on 7 July 1917.
The park's name comes from the 16th- and 17th-century bastions it replaced; it was first called "Belle Promenade" when laid out from 1720. Giant chessboards and a jeu du moulin are set out for passers-by, alongside two ping-pong tables and a knotted-rope swing. The kiosque à musique, inaugurated in 1882, has served as a concert pavilion, orangery, cinema and restaurant.
The park lies between Rue de la Croix-Rouge to the north, Rue de Candolle to the south, Rue du Conseil Général to the west and Rue de St-Léger to the east, with an entrance by the Porte de Neuve. The central allée was resurfaced in 2017 with a semi-permeable clay-limestone layer, and a labelled dendrological path set up in 1981 identifies the trees.
The park's labelled dendrological path, opened in September 1981, identifies trees among roughly 150 plant species growing on the 64,968 m² site. The central alley was resurfaced in 2017 with a semi-permeable clay-limestone layer, replacing asphalt to protect the trees.
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