Parc Jean-Jacques Rousseau, English garden in Ermenonville, France
Parc Jean-Jacques Rousseau is an English garden in Ermenonville that spans over sixty hectares of natural settings including forests, meadows, rivers, and ponds. These landscapes are connected by philosophical structures and monuments distributed throughout the grounds.
René de Girardin created this park between 1766 and 1775 as the first landscape garden on continental Europe, inspired by Rousseau's ideas from his novel New Heloise. This creation marked a shift in European garden design and philosophical thinking.
The park displays buildings that represent Enlightenment principles, including a temple and a monument dedicated to Rousseau. These structures are woven into the landscape and invite visitors to reflect while walking through the grounds.
The grounds are accessible from April through October with paths leading through various landscaped sections, particularly in the southern area. Visitors should wear sturdy footwear, as trails pass through woods and meadows.
The park contains hidden ha-ha walls, which are sunken boundaries creating invisible barriers that maintain uninterrupted views across the entire landscape. This technique was an innovative approach to emphasize the unity of nature.
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