Potager des princes, Heritage garden in central Chantilly, France.
Potager des Princes, also called Parc de la Faisanderie, is a park in Chantilly enclosed behind high walls. Its grassy slopes step down to a broad lawn crossed by a narrow channel; behind a low stone wall pierced by a small arched opening, rectangular beds edged with low hedging lie on level terraces with clipped shrubs and taller trees. A long pale building with a dark roof and central arched entrance stands at the top.
André Le Nôtre designed the terraced structures in the 17th century on the former gardens of the Grand Condé. This foundational work established the layout that still characterizes the site today.
The name "Potager des Princes" was given by Yves Bienaimé when he reopened the former Parc de la Faisanderie to the public after buying it in December 1999. From January 2013 the garden also gave its name to an educational television programme on Campagnes TV, in which head gardener Serge Saje gave advice on looking after a garden.
Guided tours in multiple languages are available to help visitors understand the different areas. Plan to spend approximately one hour to walk through the landscaped paths at a leisurely pace.
The garden's name comes from its 1999 rescue by Yves Bienaimé, creator of the Living Horse Museum, who bought the former pheasantry and its park after neighbours and the town fought a plan to build 58 houses there. He and head gardener Serge Saje restored lost perspectives using 17th- to 19th-century plans.
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