Parc Bassompierre, Public garden on the Charente River in Saintes, France

Parc Bassompierre, now the Jardin public Fernand-Chapsal, covers nearly three hectares along the right bank of the Charente in Saintes. Landscape architect Bonnet laid it out in 1925 as radiating tree-lined paths, flowerbeds and lawns, split into a French garden and an English garden. A low retaining wall and wooden pontoons line the water, and a footbridge links it to the city centre.

The park was laid out in 1925 by the landscape architect Bonnet on the right bank of the Charente, on the site formerly known as parc Bassompierre. It was renamed after Fernand Chapsal, mayor of Saintes from 1919 to 1939. A pedestrian footbridge over the river, built in 1927, links it to the city centre, and the bandstand by Georges Baustert dates from 1928.

The bandstand was built in 1928 by contractor Roginski to plans by architect Georges Baustert. It stands in the park as the setting for open-air concerts, and the name of the garden recalls Fernand Chapsal, mayor of Saintes from 1919 to 1939.

The park lies on the right bank of the Charente and stretches from place Bassompierre to the parc Pierre-Mendès-France and the prairie de la Palu, which continue it. A pedestrian footbridge over the river, built in 1927, links it to the city centre. Wooden pontoons along the bank serve tourist boats.

The park's former orangery now serves as a tearoom, and beside it a small enclosure keeps goats, ducks and birds. The wooden pontoons along the Charente bank are used to moor tourist boats, a detail many walkers pass without noticing.