Jardin extraordinaire, Urban park in Chantenay district, Nantes, France.
Jardin extraordinaire is a public park laid out in the western part of the former Miséry quarry, on the right bank of the Loire in the Bellevue - Chantenay - Sainte-Anne district. A 25-metre waterfall drops down the grey and tan rock face, which is covered with ivy, banana trees, giant water plants and tree ferns. A paved walkway runs at the foot of the cliff, past a shallow pond with pale flat stones set in the water.
The garden occupies the western part of the former Miséry quarry, on the right bank of the Loire. The site was inaugurated on 28 September 2019 as Nantes' 101st park. In October 2020 a metal staircase by François Delarozière, designer of the Machines de l'Île, was installed to link the garden to the Maurice-Schwob square at the top of the cliff.
The park's name is provisional: residents were to be consulted on a permanent one. Its layout draws on Jules Verne's stories, a nod to the writer born in Nantes. The western section has been surveyed by Bretagne Vivante, which recorded 27 bird species there, including kestrels and goldfinches, plus 16 dragonfly and 20 butterfly species.
Access is from the south, via Boulevard de Cardiff and Quai Marquis-d'Aiguillon. A metal staircase by François Delarozière, installed in October 2020, links the garden to the square Maurice-Schwob at the top of the cliff. The garden lies in the western part of the former Carrière de Miséry.
A waterfall drops through the garden reaching about 25 meters, creating a flowing water presence within the stone cliff setting. Banana trees and tree ferns reinforce the tropical feeling and give an unexpected jungle appearance to this former industrial site.
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